Singapore's Parliament passed the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill on Sept 10, 2024, imposing new obligations on gamblers at the country's two casinos, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa1. The changes cover the withdrawal of bets after results have been announced, the recording of games on casino premises, breaches of family visit limits and the treatment of excluded persons1.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling told Parliament that casino-related crime remains low, with only 0.2 percent of all crimes reported in 2023 occurring at the two casinos, or 137 criminal cases that year1. The Ministry of Home Affairs said the amendments to the Casino Control Act, last amended in 2012, are part of a regular review to keep the law in step with changes in the gambling industry1.
On bets, Ms Sun said it is currently an offense to place a bet after the result is known, but not to withdraw it1. Ten people were investigated for withdrawing bets between 2010 and 2023, and police had to use other laws such as theft in dwelling to deal with them1. Existing law makes recording card games illegal; the changes criminalize recording non-card games, which MHA said patrons have used to try to cheat casinos by capturing the play patterns of games such as gaming machines1.
Breaching a family visit limit was previously not a crime1. About five people breached their family visit limits annually from 2010 to 2023, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development said there were three to 14 applications a year for such limits over the last decade1. Under the amendments, anyone who exceeds the limit can be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to $10,0001. For excluded persons, it will be a crime as long as the person knows, or ought reasonably to know, about his exclusion status1. As at the end of December 2023, more than 300,000 people had been barred from entering the casinos, including those who set the ban themselves, according to National Council on Problem Gambling data1.
Minors who refuse to give their particulars or falsify their age to enter the casinos face higher maximum fines of $10,000, up from $1,0001. Only those aged 21 or older can enter Singapore's casinos, and MHA said two to four minors each year over the past five years tried to enter using false evidence of age1. The law also lets both casinos share patrons' information with each other to tackle money laundering, which they currently cannot do without consent1. The threshold that triggers customer due diligence falls: where a casino pays a patron $10,000 or receives $5,000, the amounts drop to $4,0001.
"With the passing of the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill on Sept 10, it will also be a crime for people to breach family visit limits when the changes take effect."
More than 3,800 illegal gambling websites have been blocked by MHA as they are likely to target or be frequently visited by those in Singapore, and more than 145,000 illegal gambling transactions involving the Singapore public, amounting to approximately $37 million, had been blocked2. MHA has no plans at the moment to allow families of problem gamblers to request the blocking of their bank accounts, and the probable pathological and problem gambling rate has remained low and stable at about 1 percent2.
What it means for players
The amendments apply to gamblers at Singapore's two casinos, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, not to other forms of gambling1. Withdrawing a bet after a result is announced becomes an offense in itself, rather than being pursued through other laws1. Recording games beyond card games is criminalized, so capturing play on gaming machines falls inside the prohibition1. A person who has reached a family visit limit and keeps visiting commits an offense carrying up to a year in jail or a $10,000 fine1. Excluded persons can be prosecuted where they know, or ought reasonably to know, of their exclusion status, so a claim of having miscounted visits will not work1. Minors attempting entry with false age evidence face a maximum fine of $10,000, up from $1,0001. Casino patrons' information may be shared between the two operators without consent, and customer due diligence is triggered at lower amounts1. The National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1800-6-668-6682.
What happens next
The changes take effect when the amendments take effect; the reports do not give a commencement date1. The reports also do not state how the new offenses will be enforced at the casinos, or whether further amendments are planned2.
