Singapore

Gambling in Singapore is governed by the Gambling Control Act 2022 and overseen by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA), a Ministry of Home Affairs statutory board operational since 1 August 2022, which absorbed the former Casino Regulatory Authority. The legal market is a deliberate state monopoly: only Singapore Pools may offer sports, lottery and horse-race betting, while all other operators — domestic or offshore — are illegal even for the bettor. The minimum age is 21 for online betting. Horse racing in Singapore ended on 5 October 2024, when the Singapore Turf Club ran its final meeting and closed; there is no longer a domestic horse-racing betting product. Prediction markets have no Singapore-specific legal framework, so their status here is left unverified rather than assumed.

Legislation passed in 2014 provided a much needed update and clarification of the gambling laws of Singapore. Unfortunately, the Remote Gambling Act of 2014 — since repealed and replaced by the Gambling Control Act 2022 — banned online betting in Singapore to the point where it is still a crime to play online at unlicensed overseas betting sites.

The most recent gaming laws in the country represent a drastic attempt to crack down on offshore gambling sites. It is an offense for residents to bet on sports, play casino games or participate in online poker at any unlicensed betting site — Singapore Pools is the only licensed remote operator. The law also allows the government to block access to gaming websites and payments to gaming operators; since 1 January 2025 the Singapore Police Force carries out that blocking.

Legal online gambling in Singapore runs through a single state-owned operator, Singapore Pools. The website does offer real online betting: with a Singapore Pools Account customers can place sports, lottery and horse racing bets online and track their transactions.

Singapore Betting Sites

Please note that there ARE criminal laws in place that ban individual gamblers from signing up and playing at unlicensed online betting sites in Singapore. Singapore Pools is the only operator licensed by the GRA to provide remote gambling services, and it is an offence for any person in Singapore to participate in unlicensed remote gambling activities. Unlicensed offshore sites nevertheless continue to offer online sports betting, poker and casino games. I do not recommend playing online at this time, but I will provide an overview of what it’s like strictly for information purposes.

In addition to questionable legality, the other downside to online gambling in Singapore is dealing with currency exchanges. Since there are no legal Singapore online casinos, every site based out of elsewhere deals in different currencies. You can still deposit in Singapore dollars but you can’t actually play the games using SGD. All deposits are converted into the USD, EUR or GBP at some point.

Payment routes to an unlicensed site are not dependable in any case: with effect from 1 January 2025 the Singapore Police Force has taken over the functions of blocking access to unlawful remote gambling services, the advertising of such services and payment transactions.

Singapore Gambling Laws

Singapore’s gambling laws were overhauled in 2022 and cover online as well as brick-and-mortar gambling. The most recent legislation is the 2022 package — the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022 and the Gambling Control Act 2022 — alongside the Casino Control Act 2006.

Gambling in Singapore is now consolidated under the Gambling Control Act 2022, which repealed the Betting Act 1960, the Common Gaming Houses Act 1961, the Private Lotteries Act 2011 and the Remote Gambling Act 2014; the Casino Control Act 2006 and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022 complete the framework.

The Gambling Control Act 2022 does provide a licensing mechanism for remote gambling, but only one licence has been granted — to Singapore Pools. That leaves us with the current situation in which it is illegal to provide unlicensed remote gambling in or from Singapore, and an offence to take part in it as a customer.

The Casino Control Act of 2006 represents a major missed opportunity by Singapore officials. The Act set up a licensing mechanism for brick-and-mortar casinos but made no mention of the internet even though online gaming was widespread by 2006.

The Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore (CRA) was created by the same act and was reconstituted as the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) in 2022. Its successor, the GRA, was formally established on 1 August 2022 and licenses both casinos and the single licensed remote gambling operator. So far, it has issued two licenses: one to Marina Bay Sands near Marina Bay and one to Resorts World at Sentosa on Sentosa island.

As a part of the licensing agreement, these casinos are required to tailor their products to tourists and not encourage locals to play.

Singapore also has a state-operated website that allows citizens to bet on certain sports. Singapore Pools provides both online and in-person betting: with a Singapore Pools Account customers can place sports, lottery and horse racing bets, and track their transactions online. Its range is narrow next to an unlicensed offshore book, but it is the only operator licensed by the GRA to provide remote gambling services.

The Singapore Turf Club was formed in 1842 and held Singapore’s final race meeting on 5 October 2024; there is no longer any domestic horse racing to bet on. Horse racing bets are now taken only by Singapore Pools, on overseas race meetings.

In 2013, Singapore announced that it was preparing legislation to crack down on internet gambling. The CRA noted previously that online gambling was more addictive than land-based betting and found it to be a danger for citizens. The proposed legislation would include web censorship of gambling sites, new regulations requiring the banking industry to block transactions to offshore betting websites and additional restrictions on advertising.

The proposed legislation was passed in 2014, and Singapore’s government continues to discourage citizens from gambling — the GRA’s stated mission includes minimising gambling harm. The anti-gambling campaign was embarrassed in 2014 after running a barrage of ads that depicted a sad-looking boy saying he hoped Germany would win because his dad had bet his life savings on the Germans. When Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 and went on to win the tournament, Singaporeans had a field day mocking the ads.

Internet gambling is no longer a murky subject in Singapore: the Gambling Control Act 2022 licenses one remote operator and prohibits all the rest. Gaming laws clearly state that it is an offence, and the enforcement machinery is real: individuals face a fine of up to $10,000 or six months’ imprisonment, and since 1 January 2025 the Singapore Police Force blocks unlawful gambling sites, their advertising and their payment transactions. The risk to a customer is therefore real and enforced, not theoretical.