Talk about playing with people’s lives.
Believe it or not, there might be a group of people who religiously followed MOH’s official daily update on the number of new Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
Because if they’ve gotten the number right, they’ll win some prize money.
Illegal Gambling Sites Now Getting People To Bet On Number Of New Covid-19 Cases
TNP found at least 5 illegal gambling sites targeting Singaporeans and other countries’ people to bet on the number of new Covid-19 cases.
Punters can guess the last digit of new Covid-19 cases announced by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Other than that, they could also do the age-old “odd-even” bet as well as bet on whether it’ll be higher or lower than the previous day’s count.
This issue surfaced after legal betting avenues in Singapore like Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club suspended their operations since 7 Apr.
I mean, no more 4D, no more Toto, no more horse races and no more soccer matches.
Psychiatrists: We’re Not Surprised
Dr Adrian Wang, a psychiatrist and counsellor at Gleneagles Medical Centre said that a gambling addict would turn to any avenue to feed their addiction, even if they’re illegal ones.
“They need this regular fix. Like an alcoholic who suddenly finds himself unable to afford whisky and has to settle for cheap rice wine, problem gamblers who can’t bet in the casino or on suspended soccer games, they will take what’s available.”
He explained that to addicts, the act of gambling triggers chemicals in their brains that give them that feeling of reward and pleasure.
In fact, some psychiatrists said that even in the face of harsher laws, gambling addicts are likely to continue betting at places which allows them to do so.
Dr Munidasa Winslow, senior consultant psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare said, to us, gambling on people’s lives might seem unspeakable; but to gambling addicts, it’s just “another form of avenue” for them to display their “skills”.
“Even if they are gambling on people’s lives, they will make that bet if someone is willing to accept it.”
Punters Caught Will Be Punished Harshly
The Singapore Police Force has spoken, and they say they’ll go down hard on people involved with illegal gambling.
Anyone who is caught using an illegal remote gambling service can be fined up to $5,000, jailed up to six months, or both.
Anyone who provides such a service, whether in Singapore or overseas, can be fined up to $200,000, jailed up to 5 years, or both.
Get Help If You, Or Someone You Know, Has A Gambling Addiction
Families have been broken and destroyed before by gambling addiction.
If you, or someone you know, has an addiction to gambling, it might be time to seek help before it’s too late.
You can call the national gambling hotline at 1800-666-8668 or use their e-service here.
Just take note that their office will be closed from 7 Apr until 4 May 2020.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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