Jackpot Lounge ceases operations

The Jackpot Lounge at Keppel Club in Singapore ceased operations on Dec 31, 2023, the club said in its own account of its history. The stated reason was low visitorship¹.

The closure appears as a single line in the club's timeline of more than a century of operations, with no further detail given on the number of machines, the size of the lounge or the level of visitorship before it shut¹. The club has not reported what will happen to the space the lounge occupied.

The lounge sat inside a club that has been through substantial change in recent years. The government announced on Feb 14, 2019 that it would not extend the land lease on the club's 44-hectare site, with plans to develop the land for housing¹. The club was told the lease on that land would expire on Dec 31, 2021, and that it had to return the reinstated land to the Singapore Land Authority by 31 March 2023¹. Members continued to play golf at Bukit Chermin until June 30, 2022, and used the clubhouse, indoor tennis and driving range until Sep 30, 2022¹.

Keppel Club reopened elsewhere under a new arrangement. Renovation works began on Jan 1, 2022, and the Sime course renovation was completed on Oct 22, 2022¹. The official opening was held on March 18, 2023, with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Transport Minister S. Iswaran attending¹. Under an agreement with Sport Singapore, the club manages a public course on a hybrid model, with 40% of flights set aside for members and 60% available to the public¹. The club describes itself as the first and only club in Singapore to operate a public golf course under this model¹.

The club's timeline records earlier work on gambling and gaming rooms on site. In 2013, facilities underwent refurbishment that included the jackpot room, TV lounge and mahjong room¹.

What it means for players

The Jackpot Lounge was a members' club facility rather than a public casino. Its closure removes one venue where club members and their guests could play jackpot machines in Singapore. The club has not said whether any replacement gaming facility will open at its current site, so members who used the lounge have no announced alternative within the club¹.

Singapore's two integrated resorts at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa remain the licensed casino venues in the country, and their entry rules, levies and exclusions are unchanged by this closure. Nothing in the club's account indicates any change to casino regulation, to the entry levy, or to the rules that apply to locals, expats or visitors at those properties¹.

What happens next

No next steps have been reported. The club has not announced plans for the former lounge space, and no reopening date or replacement facility has been given¹.