The second tranche of amendments to Singapore's Casino Control (Amendment) Act 2024 came into effect on 21 September 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced. The provisions expand the Gambling Regulatory Authority's (GRA) powers over casino betting, lotteries and gaming software, create new offenses, widen the criteria for assessing casino operator suitability, require patron information sharing and change how exclusion orders and visit limits work1.
Under the changes, the Casino Control Act was amended to let the GRA regulate betting and lotteries in the casinos, in addition to games of chance, and to approve gaming software, including software on mobile devices, should the need arise. Any approved gaming software must only be deployed and playable within casino premises. The GRA can also prescribe instruments or things as casino chips; a new Casino Control (Prescribed Casino Chips) Regulations 2026 will prescribe electronic credits as casino chips, and new wagering instruments may be prescribed in future1.
Two new offenses were introduced. It is now an offense to withdraw a bet after the result of the game is known; previously only placing a bet after the result was known was an offense, and police had used other laws to deal with such cheating cases. It is also now an offense to record non-card games, extending an existing offense that covered recording cards dealt during gaming, after police encountered patrons recording play patterns of non-card games such as gaming machines1.
An excluded person is now liable for entering, remaining or taking part in gambling on casino premises if it is proven that he knows, or ought reasonably to know, that he was an excluded person. This removes the requirement for the GRA to prove the person was aware of his exclusion status at the time of entry1.
The amendments also let the GRA consider, on an ongoing basis, whether a casino operator conducts business in a manner that is unethical or brings discredit to casino gambling in Singapore, and whether there has been a systemic deficiency or failure in its internal controls or corporate governance. The GRA can take disciplinary action if it assesses that an operator's suitability to hold a casino license is affected by breaches of these criteria1.
Casino operators will be required to share patron information with each other to tackle money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing, allowing swifter action when a patron is found to pose a higher risk1.
On exclusion, breaching a Family Visit Limit is now criminalized, for parity with existing offenses covering breaches of an Exclusion Order by Law, Third Party Exclusion Order, Third Party Visit Limit or Family Exclusion Order. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and its committees can now immediately substitute an Exclusion Order with a Visit Limit, and vice versa. Previously they could only revoke an order or limit and then impose a new one, a process that usually takes one to two months, during which the individual would not be protected by any safeguards1.
"The process usually takes one to two months, during which the individual would not be protected by any safeguards."
The NCPG administers four types of casino exclusion orders and visit limits: Self-Exclusion or Voluntary Visit Limit, imposed on voluntary application; Family Exclusion Order or Family Visit Limit, imposed on application by a family member where the person's gambling has caused harm to the family; Third-Party Exclusion Order, imposed by the NCPG without application on individuals with a poor credit record or vulnerable to financial harm from gambling; and Exclusion Order by Law, imposed automatically on undischarged bankrupts and people on government or statutory body social assistance programs or subsidy schemes1.
What it means for players
The changes affect anyone who enters Singapore's two casinos, whether local, expat or visitor. Betting and lottery products inside the casinos now sit under the GRA's remit alongside games of chance, and electronic credits are treated as casino chips. Withdrawing a bet after the result is known is now a distinct offense under the Casino Control Act, as is recording play patterns of non-card games such as gaming machines. For people under an exclusion order or visit limit, the knowledge test has shifted: it is enough that a person knew, or ought reasonably to have known, of their excluded status. Breaching a Family Visit Limit now carries criminal liability like other exclusion breaches. Casino operators will be required to share patron information with each other for anti-money-laundering and financing checks. Details of penalties for the new offenses have not been reported.
What happens next
The provisions took effect on 21 September 2026. A new Casino Control (Prescribed Casino Chips) Regulations 2026 will be enacted to prescribe electronic credits as casino chips, and further wagering instruments may be prescribed in future if the GRA assesses them as suitable1. Provisions that came into effect earlier are set out in an annex to the announcement1.
