In the light of laws passed to curb remote gambling, it is difficult to understand why the authorities are even considering granting Singapore Pools permission to offer online betting ("Singapore Pools still waiting for nod on online betting"; May 31).

If online betting is indeed going to be offered, more care must be taken to promote responsible gambling.

Systems and processes must be put in place to allow self-exclusion by vulnerable customers and impose auto-exclusion of minors.

Additionally, Singapore Pools and the authorities should consider innovative ways to offer more robust risk-managed betting products.

One way is to allow customers to both back and lay a betting outcome, similar to what betting exchanges offer.

This would allow customers to hedge their risks, implement stop-loss limits, or exit a market outright to cut losses.

It behoves Singapore Pools and the authorities to do more to ensure that the availability of online betting, should it become reality, does not exacerbate the issue of problem gambling in Singapore.

Woon Wee Min