From October 21 to 24, this meeting takes place in Paris.
EMEA.- Last Sunday, October 20, representatives from the Ibero-American Corporation of State Lotteries and Betting (Cibelae) participated in the meeting of regional associations organized by the World Lottery Association (WLA), held as a prelude to the World Lottery Summit 2024 in Paris, which takes place from October 21 to 24.
At this meeting, authorities and representatives from various entities in the sector were present, including the WLA, European Lotteries (EL), Asia Pacific Lottery Association (APLA), North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), and Cibelae.
See also: 36th anniversary of Cibelae: the corporation reviews the achievements of the last year
During the meeting, the progress of the initiatives discussed at the April meeting of associations this year in Nashville, as well as other topics of common interest to the organizations present, were reviewed. This event highlights Cibelae's commitment to fostering cooperation and the exchange of good practices in the lottery and betting industry.
Among the attendees were Rebecca Paul, president of the WLA; Andreas Kötter, president-elect of the WLA for the period 2024-2026; Luca Esposito, executive director of the WLA; Lynne Roiter, secretary general of the WLA; Romana Girandon, president of EL; Arjan van ‘t Veer, secretary general of EL; John Teo, executive director of APLA; David Gale, executive director of NASPL; Andrew White, vice president of Operations of NASPL; Javier Milián, president of CIBELAE; Rodrigo Cigliutti, executive director of CIBELAE; and Sandra Sandoval, executive assistant of CIBELAE.
The National Council on Problem Gambling’s latest survey has found gambling participation rate has dropped to 40 per cent in 2023.
Singapore.- A survey conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has found that 40 per cent of respondents participated in at least one gambling activity in 2023, compared to 52 per cent in 2017 and 44 per cent in 2020. Probable pathological and problem gambling (PPG) rate continued to remain low at around 1.1 per cent. The figure was consistent with the 1.2 per cent reported in 2020 and slightly higher than the 0.9 per cent observed in 2017.
Popular gambling activities included 4D and TOTO, with participation rates of 30 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively. There was a slight increase (0.7 per cent-point from 0.3 per cent in the 2020 survey to 1.0 per cent in the 2023 survey) in illegal online gambling, which, according to the NCPG, aligns with rising global trends.
69 per cent of gamblers placed bets less than once a week while 38 per cent did so less than once a month and 31 per cent less than once a week, while the other 31 per cent placed bets at least once a week. The survey also found that 92 per cent of gamblers bet via Singapore Pools, which has safeguards in place.
See also: 73 under investigation in Singapore over alleged illegal horse betting
Sim Gim Guan, chairman of the NCPG, said: “The NCPG has been working closely with the government and partner agencies to prevent and tackle problem gambling, as well as supporting individuals with problem gambling issues. It is heartening that our efforts have contributed towards maintaining Singapore’s low problem gambling rate. We will need to continue to work together, as the harms of problem gambling can be serious and it affects not just the problem gambler, but also the people around the individual.”
Masagos Zulkifli, minister for Social and Family Development, said: “The decrease in the overall gambling participation rate of Singapore residents, coupled with the low problem gambling rate, indicates that our social safeguards continue to be effective. MSF will continue to work closely with NCPG and other agencies to review our social safeguards and rehabilitation services, ensuring they remain relevant and effective. The community also plays a crucial role by encouraging those affected by problem gambling to seek help and supporting them throughout their recovery journey.”
