The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) found that lapses which allowed excluded persons to keep betting accounts arose from system-related issues, and that these were rectified in February 2026. The findings were set out in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Mr Low Wu Yang Andre, answered by Mr K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, and published on 4 August 20261.
The question followed an Auditor-General's Office finding that 79 Singapore Pools accounts held by excluded persons were not closed. Of those, 32 holders placed 1,358 online bets totaling $75,800 during their exclusion periods. The remaining 47 excluded persons did not engage in remote gambling1.
Investigations into possible offenses committed by the 32 excluded persons who engaged in remote gambling are ongoing, and individuals found liable will be dealt with, the reply said1.
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| Singapore Pools accounts held by excluded persons not closed | 79 |
| Holders who placed bets during exclusion | 32 |
| Online bets placed | 1,358 |
| Total value of those bets | $75,800 |
| Holders who did not gamble remotely | 47 |
On controls, the reply said MSF has enhanced its system controls and validation processes, including implementing more rigorous testing for new system enhancements since June 2026, and will extend these enhancements to existing systems and operational processes1.
"The lapses arose from system-related issues that resulted in some excluded persons not being flagged. These issues were rectified in February 2026."
What it means for players
Self-exclusion in Singapore is meant to stop a person from opening or holding a gambling account and from betting with a licensed operator. The reply confirms that for a period, that block did not work as intended for 79 account holders, and that 32 of them were able to place online bets through Singapore Pools despite being excluded1.
For anyone on the exclusion list, or considering it, the practical point is that the account closure and flagging process is the mechanism that enforces the exclusion, and the GRA and MSF have said the faults behind the failure have been fixed and testing tightened1. The reply does not say how long the faults persisted, how the affected accounts were identified, or whether any of the 32 people have since been charged; those points have not been reported1.
The reply also does not describe what happens to winnings or deposits tied to bets placed while excluded, or whether the 79 accounts have since been closed. For general information on exclusion schemes and support services across the region, see Safer Gambling in Asia, and for the licensing and operator background in the city-state, see Can I Gamble in Singapore?.
What happens next
Investigations into possible offenses by the 32 excluded persons who gambled remotely are ongoing, and the reply states that individuals found liable will be dealt with1. MSF has said it will extend the enhanced controls and validation processes to existing systems and operational processes, after applying more rigorous testing to new system enhancements since June 20261. No dates for those extensions have been given1.
