Singapore's two casinos collected about $4.4 million more than was legally allowed between April 4 and May 7, 2024, after the Casino Control (Variation of Entry Levies) Order 2019 lapsed without being renewed, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on August 6, 20241.
The order took effect on April 4, 2019 and raised the levies for Singapore citizens and permanent residents to enter casinos to $150 daily or $3,000 annually, up from $100 daily or $2,000 annually1. It was valid for five years, until April 3, 20241. Because MHA overlooked the expiry date, the levies reverted to the lower rates on April 4, while the casinos continued to collect the higher amounts1.
"But it said it had overlooked the expiry of the 2019 Order, causing the entry levies to revert to the lower rates on April 4."
MHA said it discovered the lapse after an email query from a member of the public in April, and that it introduced a new order on May 8 to restore the daily and annual levies to the higher rates1. The ministry said it had always intended to keep the higher levies beyond the five-year period, describing them as a social safeguard to deter casual and impulse gambling1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Daily levy before April 2019 | $100 |
| Annual levy before April 2019 | $2,000 |
| Daily levy from April 4, 2019 | $150 |
| Annual levy from April 4, 2019 | $3,000 |
| Period of the lapse | April 4 to May 7, 2024 |
| Extra collected in that period | About $4.4 million |
The Casino Control (Amendment) Bill, introduced in Parliament on August 6, 2024, proposes to write the higher levies into the Casino Control Act itself and to validate the higher levies collected during the one-month lapse, meaning the money is deemed validly collected1. No legal proceedings may be instituted on or after August 6, 2024 regarding the sums collected in that period1. MHA said it does not intend to refund any part of the levies collected during the lapse, as its intention was always to continue with the higher rates until there was a need to adjust them1. All entry levies collected by a casino operator are paid to the Tote Board and must be used for public, social or charitable purposes in Singapore1.
What it means for players
The levy applies to Singapore citizens and permanent residents entering the city-state's two casinos, not to foreign visitors. For that group, the amount payable at the door is $150 daily or $3,000 annually, the rate that applied before April 2019 having been $100 and $2,0001. Anyone who paid the higher levy between April 4 and May 7, 2024 will not receive a refund, and the amendment bars legal proceedings over those sums from August 6, 20241. MHA said the number of citizens and permanent residents who visited the casinos in 2023 was around 3 percent of the Singapore adult population, and that probable problem and pathological gambling rates among residents have been low and stable at about 1 percent1. The ministry said there are no plans to increase the entry levy for now1. Details of who pays and how much are set out in Singapore's casino entry levy guide, and comparable charges across the region in casino entry levies and fees in Asia.
What happens next
The Casino Control (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Parliament on August 6, 20241. It proposes to state the higher levies in the Casino Control Act and to validate the levies collected during the lapse1. MHA said it will review its internal tracking process to minimize such incidents in future1. The date of the Bill's passage and the outcome of that review have not been reported.
