Gambling in Singapore: an overview of history, research, treatment and policy

Aims: This paper describes the current situation regarding gambling in Singapore in relation to its historical and cultural context.

Methods: A computerized search was performed of two databases (PubMed and PsychINFO) and the reference lists from the papers searched manually to identify relevant studies. The findings were synthesized and their implications assessed.

Results: In addition to state lotteries and much informal gambling, Singapore has two large resort casinos, which rank third after Las Vegas and Macau in terms of gross revenues. The major ethnic subgroups in Singapore have different cultural connections to gambling, including the active involvement of the Chinese and religious prohibition among the Malay. A range of secondary prevention and treatment services has been developed to attempt to minimize potential negative impacts. Overall, the prevalence of pathological gambling and problem gambling has decreased in recent years: an estimated 0.2% are classified as probable pathological gamblers compared with 1.4% in 2011, 1.2% in 2008 and 2.1% in 2005.

Conclusions: Singapore has experienced a reduction in problem gambling prevalence which may reflect the influence of multiple initiatives.