Meet the migrant workers who volunteer to stop their ‘brothers’ from excessive gambling
These ambassadors help their peers stop problematic gambling through self-exclusion.
In 2025, migrant worker Uddin Jashim observed a friend's excessive gambling, losing $2,500 in a single night at the Marina Bay Sands casino. To deter his friend, Uddin informed his family, prompting his friend to seek self-exclusion. Uddin has since assisted six others in stopping gambling, becoming one of over 40 C.a.N Ambassadors in Singapore.
These volunteers aim to raise awareness about problem gambling and encourage their peers to apply for self-exclusion. The programme, a joint effort by the police's Casino Crime Investigation Branch and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), has conducted 35 outreach sessions since 2022. Foreign workers' exclusions from gambling activities have surged, with 24,000 barred from online betting and 28,000 from jackpot machine rooms in 2024.
Non-governmental organisation Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) has seen a rise in enquiries about removing exclusions, especially during Chinese New Year. MWC collaborates with NCPG to educate migrant workers on the consequences of removing exclusions, as losing their salaries to repay agency loans can devastate their lives. With the help of the Ministry of Manpower, police, and MWC, awareness campaigns have been expanded, including multilingual guides and banners in dormitories.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
