Amendments to section 116 of Singapore's Casino Control Act 2006 took effect on 31 December 2024, according to the Act's legislative timeline. The changes were made by Act 31 of 2023, which the timeline records as commencing on that date1.
Section 116 governs the casino entry levy that citizens and permanent residents of Singapore must pay before entering a casino. The Act states that "a casino operator must not allow any person who is a citizen of Singapore or permanent resident of Singapore to enter or remain on the casino premises at any time on any day unless the person has paid to the casino operator an entry levy"1. The levy is set at "$150 for every consecutive period of 24 hours" or "$3,000 for a valid annual membership of the casino"1. The Minister may vary these amounts by order in the Gazette1.
Under the amended provision, a person who enters without paying is "liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,500, and shall also be liable for the amount of the entry levy specified in subsection (1)(a)"1. The same fine of up to $1,500 applies to a person who remains on the premises beyond the period covered by the levy paid, and that person is likewise liable for the levy amount "in respect of the overstay period"1. A separate offense under the section also carries a fine not exceeding $1,5001. A casino operator that contravenes the entry levy provisions is "liable to disciplinary action"1.
All entry levies collected by a casino operator "must be paid to the Singapore Totalisator Board within the prescribed time and must be used by that Board for public, social or charitable purposes in Singapore"1.
The Act also caps the number of casinos in Singapore at two, under section 41, "Two casinos only"1. Minors are barred from casino premises under section 132, and automatic teller machines are prohibited within casino premises under section 1091.
The specific content of those later amendments is not set out in the sources.
What it means for players
For Singapore citizens and permanent residents, the levy remains the condition of entry: $150 for each 24 hour period or $3,000 for an annual membership, unless the Minister varies those figures by order1. Entering without paying, or staying past the period paid for, exposes the person to a fine of up to $1,500 on conviction plus liability for the unpaid levy amount1. Foreign visitors are not covered by the levy requirement in section 116, which applies to citizens and permanent residents1. Entry rules sit alongside other restrictions in the Act, including the two casino limit, the ban on minors entering casino premises and the prohibition on ATMs inside them1. Broader context on how such levies work across the region is set out in the guide to casino entry levies and fees in Asia, and the general legal position is covered in gambling laws in Asia.
What happens next
What that amendment changes has not been reported in the sources.
Sources1 sources
- Casino Control Act 2006 - Singapore Statutes Online, sso.agc.gov.sg
