Gambling Laws in Singapore
Some forms of land-based
gambling in Singapore are considered to be legal. Within the
Singaporean gambling legislation, the Betting Act, the Common Gaming Houses Act, the Private Lotteries Act, and the Casino Control Act, are considered to be the main regulatory acts of all land-based gambling activities in the country. Online gambling in Singapore, however, was made illegal with the issuance of the 2014
Remote Gambling Act. Exceptions from the prohibitions of online gambling are granted only for the games organized by the Singapore Turf Club. The regulatory body of the land-based casino activities in the country is Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA), while the legal functioning of the online gambling sector is supervised by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Media Development Authority (MDA) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Beside its function as supervisor, CRA is the official body which grants licenses to all Singaporean casinos, sportsbooks, or other types of gambling providers, brick and mortar as well as online. Another important supervisory body regarding the betting activities in the country is the Singapore Totalisator Board. This body supervises the operations of the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools , the two main gambling operators in Singapore conducting horse racing and other betting activities. According to
Singaporean gambling laws minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in gambling activities.
Is Online Gambling Legal in Singapore?
No. All forms of online gambling are illegal in Singapore with exception of the games organized by the Singapore Turf Club. |
Online Casinos in Singapore
As of June 2018, there are no
online casinos in Singapore. Online gambling in the country is prohibited under the Remote Gambling Act, so no
Singaporean online casino licenses are on the offer. Although there is an active blockage on any online gambling content, illegal access to
internet casino sites from Singapore is frequently reported by many Asian based online casino providers.
Online Poker in Singapore
Online poker sites in Singapore are not legal, as of June 2018
. Although there are no specific
Singaporean online poker laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the application of the Remote Gambling Act holds for this game too. Illegal online poker, however, is frequently reported by the authorities of the country.
Online lottery in Singapore
Singapore Pools is the state licensed provider for all sorts of lotto games in the country. However, as of June 2018 they haven’t launched an
online lottery in Singapore. The origin of Singapore Pools date back to 1968 and is currently governed by the Ministry of Finance of Singapore. In the past they have launched a variety of lotto games on the market the most popular among the locals being the 4D.
Online bingo in Singapore
As it is the case with the other gambling sites,
online bingo sites in Singapore are not legal, as of June 2018
. Although there are no specific
Singaporean online bingo laws, the general prohibition on online gambling in the country, holds for this game too.
Online sports betting in Singapore
Online sports betting in the country is regulated with the Betting Act and the Remote Gambling Act. The major
online sportsbook sites in Singapore are run by the Singapore Turf Club and the Singapore Pools which provide for the horse race betting and other sports betting activities in Singapore. These are in the same time the only exceptions regarding online gambling allowed in the country. Foreign
internet sportsbook sites are actively being blocked by the authorities.
Online daily fantasy sports in Singapore
Online DFS sites in Singapore do not have a legally regulated status. There is an ongoing debate on the status of this type of game, but considering the legality of online sports betting in the country it is very probable that
internet Daily Fantasy Sports would soon receive a legal status in Singapore.