Singapore's Parliament passed the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act in 2022, establishing the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) as the sole regulator for all forms of gambling in the country1. The Act reconstituted the existing Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) into the new body, expanding its mandate to cover the entire gambling landscape rather than casinos alone2.
The change was introduced alongside a second bill, the Gambling Control Bill, which was given its First Reading in Parliament on 14 February 20222. The Ministry of Home Affairs said the two bills were needed because technology had made gambling products more accessible and the boundaries between gambling and gaming were blurring2. The GRA Bill, it said, would "establish the GRA as the single regulator for all forms of gambling"2.
"The GRA Bill expands the mandate of the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA), by reconstituting the Statutory Board to establish the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), which will regulate the entire gambling landscape in Singapore."
Before the change, gambling regulation was split across several bodies. The CRA regulated casinos, a Gambling Regulatory Unit in the Ministry of Home Affairs handled online gambling services and fruit machines, the Singapore Totalisator Board governed physical gambling services run by Singapore Pools, and the Singapore Police Force enforced the law against unlawful gambling2. The Ministry of Social and Family Development was responsible for social safeguards2.
The Gambling Control Bill set out to repeal four existing laws: the Betting Act, the Common Gaming Houses Act, the Private Lotteries Act and the Remote Gambling Act2. It also amended the definition of gambling to make it technology-neutral, so it could cover existing and emerging products, while excluding financial products already regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore2. A three-tier penalty structure was introduced for unlawful gambling offenses, applying across online and physical activity and differentiating between punters, agents and operators, with the highest penalties for operators2. Mandatory imprisonment was imposed for agents and operators of unlawful gambling activities2.
The bill also provided an exemption for social gambling among family and friends in homes, but not online, because the ministry said it would be difficult to establish whether individuals are sufficiently acquainted online to qualify as social gambling2. Proxy gambling in casinos and fruit machine rooms was criminalized2. The minimum age for gambling remained at 21, except at Singapore Pools' physical outlets, which stayed at 182.
What it means for players
The practical effect is that one body, the GRA, oversees licensing and enforcement for casinos, Singapore Pools products, fruit machines, private establishment gambling and online gambling, rather than several agencies2. Players at Singapore Pools' physical outlets can still gamble from age 18, while the minimum age elsewhere remains 212. Social gambling at home among family and friends is exempt, but online social gambling is not2. Proxy gambling, where someone inside a gambling area places bets on the instruction of a person outside it, became a criminal offense2. Under the earlier Casino Control Act, Singapore citizens and permanent residents pay casino entrance fees of S$150 daily and S$3,000 annually, raised from S$100 and S$2,000 in 2019, and casinos cannot lend money to locals1.
What happens next
The Ministry of Home Affairs said it aimed to establish the GRA in mid-20222. It also said a Casino Control (Amendment) Bill would be tabled at a later date, with more details released in due course2. Details of conditions for each class-licensed activity were to be released when the relevant subsidiary legislation was ready2.
