Casino Control (Amendment) Bill introduced in Singapore Parliament

The Casino Control (Amendment) Bill, Bill No. 24/2024, was read the first time in Singapore's Parliament on 6 August 2024 and published in the Bills Supplement the same day¹. It was introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)³. The bill amends the Casino Control Act 2006 and makes consequential and related amendments to the Gambling Control Act 2022 and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022¹. It comes into operation on a date the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette¹.

The bill creates several new offenses. A person who breaches a family visit limit can be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to $10,000³. It is currently not illegal for someone to breach these limits³. It will also be an offense to withdraw bets after the result of a game is known; currently only placing a bet after the result is known is an offense³. Recording non-card games will be made illegal, where existing laws state only that recording card games is illegal³. Minors who refuse to give their particulars, or use false evidence of age to enter the casinos, will face higher maximum fines of $10,000, up from the current $1,000³. Only those aged 21 and above can enter Singapore's casinos³.

For excluded persons, the bill proposes that it will be a crime as long as the excluded person knows, or ought reasonably to know, about his exclusion status³. The bill inserts a definition of "casino-excluded person" covering those banned under exclusion orders, family exclusion orders, section 165A, self-exclusion under section 165AA, or a visit limit¹. As at the end of December 2023, more than 300,000 people are barred from entering the casinos³.

The bill also addresses entry levies. Singapore citizens and permanent residents previously needed to pay a daily entry levy of $100 or an annual entry levy of $2,000⁵. The levies were raised to $150 and $3,000 respectively on April 4, 2019, after the Casino Control (Variation of Entry Levies) Order 2019 came into effect, but the Order was valid for only five years, until April 3, 2024⁵. MHA overlooked the expiry, causing the entry levies to revert to the lower rates on April 4⁵. Singapore's two casinos collected about $4.4 million more than was legally allowed between April 4 and May 7, 2024⁵. MHA introduced a new Order on May 8 to restore the daily and annual levies to the higher rates⁵. The bill proposes to state the higher levies in the Casino Control Act and to validate the higher entry levies collected during the one-month lapse⁵. No legal proceedings may be instituted on or after Aug 6, 2024, regarding the sums collected during the one-month period⁵. MHA said it does not intend to refund any part of the entry levies collected during the lapse⁵.

On information sharing, the two casinos, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), are not allowed to directly share with each other the personal data of patrons without the patrons' consent³. With the new Bill, the two casinos will be allowed to share patrons' information with each other to tackle money laundering and terrorism financing³. The Gambling Regulatory Authority facilitates the information exchange instead, but this is operationally inefficient and impedes casino operators from taking timely action, said MHA³.

What it means for players

For Singapore citizens and permanent residents, the entry levy to enter the two casinos remains at $150 daily or $3,000 annually, the rates restored on May 8, 2024⁵. The bill writes those higher rates into the Casino Control Act and validates the sums collected between April 4 and May 7, 2024, so no refunds are planned⁵. Those under family visit limits face a new offense if they breach them, with a jail term of up to a year or a fine of up to $10,000³. Excluded persons can be prosecuted if they know, or ought reasonably to know, of their exclusion status³. Withdrawing a bet after the result is known, and recording non-card games, become offenses³. Minors using false evidence of age face maximum fines of $10,000, up from $1,000³. Patrons' information may be shared between MBS and RWS under the bill³.

What happens next

The bill was read the first time on 6 August 2024¹. It comes into operation on a date the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette¹. No date has been reported.