Singapore's Auditor-General's Office (AGO) found that people barred from gambling were allowed to enter the country's two casinos and to bet online, according to its report published on July 151. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), which oversees the National Council on Problem Gambling, said the lapses stemmed from issues including the use of different IDs from those in the records, data migration problems and other system-related issues that affected automatic screening1. They said the errors had been rectified as at February 20261.
Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2025, 120 individuals under exclusion orders were allowed to enter the two local casinos at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa1. Of that group, 107 entered the casinos 1,100 times in total and were reported by the casino operators to the GRA, while 13 cases, which had entered 108 times in total, were unreported1. Separately, 26 individuals were allowed entry even though they had exceeded their monthly casino visit limits, entering 102 times more than their limits1.
The audit also covered remote gambling. The AGO found that 79 Singapore Pools accounts held by excluded persons were not closed to prevent them from remote gambling, and that 32 of that group placed 1,358 bets online amounting to $75,800 during the audit period1.
"GRA has also begun investigations into possible regulatory offenses committed by the individuals under exclusion orders, said the report."
The AGO report also covered other agencies. The Ministry of Health did not declare project savings totaling $147.96 million to the Ministry of Finance as at March 2026, more than seven years past the deadline, and used undeclared savings to fund three items worth $11.95 million without approval1. The Ministry of Education dismissed a staff member after possible falsified approval e-mails relating to officer appointments, and made a police report1. The Ministry of Manpower overcharged foreign worker levies for marine shipyard work permit holders by $4.82 million in January and February 2026, and said it will refund affected firms through offsets against their levy liabilities1.
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| Excluded persons allowed into the two casinos, Apr 2023 to Mar 2025 | 120 |
| Entries by the 107 reported cases | 1,100 |
| Unreported cases and their entries | 13 cases, 108 entries |
| Excluded persons over monthly visit limits | 26, entering 102 times over their limits |
| Singapore Pools accounts of excluded persons not closed | 79 |
| Bets placed online by 32 of that group | 1,358 bets, $75,800 |
What it means for players
Singapore's casino exclusion regime covers people such as undischarged bankrupts and recipients of certain welfare support, alongside those who apply for self-exclusion. The audit shows that between April 2023 and March 2025 the automatic screening meant to enforce those orders did not always work, so some excluded people were able to enter Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, and some were able to keep betting through Singapore Pools accounts. The GRA and MSF say those screening errors were fixed by February 2026, and the GRA has begun investigating possible regulatory offenses by the excluded individuals involved1. The AGO report does not state what penalties, if any, those individuals face, and no outcome of the investigations has been reported. Details of how the exclusion system works, and how records and confidentiality are handled, are set out in the guides on automatic casino exclusion and gambling help confidentiality. General background on gambling in the city-state is in Can I Gamble in Singapore?, and wider regional support information is in Safer Gambling in Asia.
What happens next
The GRA has begun investigations into possible regulatory offenses committed by the individuals under exclusion orders, according to the report1. No timeline for those investigations, and no findings, have been reported.
