Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had blocked more than 3,800 illegal gambling websites and more than 145,000 illegal gambling transactions involving the Singapore public, worth approximately $37 million, as at Dec 31, 20241. Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam gave the figures on Jan 8, 2025, in a written parliamentary reply to a question from Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang) about how many illegal gambling websites and apps are blocked and banned in Singapore1.
The minister said the sites were blocked because they are likely to target, or be frequently visited by, people in Singapore1. He described the limits of the approach directly:
"These blocking measures have impeded access to illegal online gambling to some extent. However, this approach is clearly not foolproof as illegal operators can easily create new websites, and we do not have the ability to know of every gambling website."
Shanmugam encouraged the public to report illegal websites, apps, advertisements and bank accounts used by illegal gambling operators to the police1. He also said MHA had no plans at the moment to allow families of problem gamblers to request the blocking of their bank accounts, a suggestion Yip raised, saying the current measures are adequate because the probable pathological and problem gambling rate has remained low and stable at about 1 percent1.
The reply also covered casino rules passed in September 2024 under the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill, which made it mandatory for gamblers at Singapore's two casinos to abide by new laws on withdrawing bets after results are announced and on the recording of games on the premises1. The Bill also addressed breaching a family visit limit, which was previously not a crime; anyone who exceeds the limit can be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to $10,000 for the new offense1. From 2010 to 2023, about five people breached their family visit limits annually1.
| Measure | Figure | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal gambling websites blocked | More than 3,800 | Dec 31, 20241 |
| Illegal gambling transactions blocked | More than 145,000 | Dec 31, 20241 |
| Value of blocked transactions | About $37 million | Dec 31, 20241 |
| Annual breaches of casino family visit limits | About five | 2010 to 20231 |
What it means for players
The figures cover blocking of illegal gambling sites and transactions, not prosecutions of players, and the minister's reply does not set out penalties for individual gamblers1. What the reply does establish is that access to thousands of unlicensed sites is being cut off at the network level in Singapore, and that the government itself says this will not catch every operator1. For anyone gambling in Singapore, that means an unlicensed site can disappear or stop processing payments without notice, and the operator can reappear under a new address. The risks of playing on unlicensed sites and the mechanics of why betting sites get blocked in Asia set out what that looks like in practice, while blocked gambling sites and VPN use covers the legal position on working around blocks. The reply does not say what happens to money already held on a blocked site, and no figures on player losses or complaints were given1.
What happens next
No further dates were announced in the reply. Shanmugam said MHA had no plans at the moment to allow families of problem gamblers to request the blocking of their bank accounts1. The National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1800-6-668-668, and the National Council on Problem Gambling operates a website1.
