Automatic Casino Exclusion: Bankrupts, Welfare Recipients and Others Barred by Law

Who counts as a casino-excluded person in Singapore

Singapore uses one umbrella term, "casino-excluded person," for everyone banned from the two casinos. It covers people under a family exclusion order, a provisional family exclusion order or a third-party exclusion order, people excluded under section 165A, people who have self-excluded under section 165AA, and people under an entry ban⁶.

The same definition appears in the Gambling Control Act 2022, which extends the idea beyond the casino floor. An excluded person there means someone subject to a family, provisional family or third-party exclusion order under Part 10 of the Casino Control Act 2006, someone excluded under section 165A, someone who has self-excluded under section 165AA, or someone under an entry ban⁷. The practical effect is that an excluded person must not gamble in or from Singapore in breach of the ban that applies to them⁸.

The casino operator has its own duty. Excluded people are not to enter casino premises, and the operator must keep them out⁹. That is why the ban works even if you never receive a letter: your name is on the list the casino checks at the door.

Exclusion by law: the groups barred automatically

This is the category most people mean when they ask who is automatically banned. An Exclusion Order by Law is imposed automatically to ban financially vulnerable groups from entering the casinos. The two headline groups are undischarged bankrupts and people on social assistance programs or subsidy schemes funded by the Government or any statutory body².

The full list of programs and schemes is set out in the Casino Control Act. Exclusion by Law applies to people who are:

• Receiving ComCare Long Term (Public Assistance), Medium Term Assistance or Short Term Assistance
• Living in HDB rental flats under the Public Rental Scheme
• Receiving legal aid under the Legal Aid Bureau
• Receiving government-funded criminal defense aid from the Public Defender's Office, or aid under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme administered by Pro Bono SG
• Undischarged bankrupts¹

Two things are worth being clear about. First, you do not apply for this and you cannot opt out of it. It attaches to your situation, not to your choice. Second, it applies to citizens and permanent residents, because the underlying schemes are Singapore schemes. A visitor on a work pass who is not an undischarged bankrupt in Singapore and is not on any of those programs is not caught by this category.

If your circumstances change, the exclusion follows the status. An undischarged bankrupt who is discharged, or someone who comes off assistance, is no longer in the group. The NCPG publishes a page on declaring indebtedness and non-indebtedness for exactly this reason¹⁰.

There is one practical exception, and it matters if you work in or around the casinos. From 29 May 2026, people under Exclusion by Law who are required to enter casinos for work purposes may do so without applying to the NCPG. They are encouraged to tell their employers, may enter only through designated employee or vendor entrances, and must only carry out defined work activities inside the premises¹. So a bankrupt contractor can still do a job at the casino, but not walk the floor.

Voluntary self-exclusion under section 165AA

Self-exclusion is the opposite of Exclusion by Law: you ask for it. Under section 165AA of the Casino Control Act 2006, a person may make a voluntary application to the Council to be banned from entering or remaining on all casino premises, from gaming machine rooms, from all manner of general remote gambling, or any combination of those¹¹.

The remote gambling part is broader than it sounds. The provision allows for a person to be banned from engaging in all manner of general remote gambling, not just casino products¹². So a self-exclusion can reach online betting as well as the physical casino floor.

In practice, a Singapore self-exclusion blocks you from the casinos, from Singapore Pools online betting, and from jackpot machine rooms at private clubs¹³. You apply through the NCPG's online service, and the step-by-step guide walks through the process¹³.

Self-exclusion is listed as one of the grounds on which a person is a casino-excluded person under the updated definition in the Act¹⁴. That matters for enforcement, but there is a carve-out: the offense of entering or remaining on casino premises does not apply to a person excluded only by self-exclusion under section 165AA or a voluntary visit limit under section 165B(1)¹⁵. In plain terms, breaching your own self-exclusion is treated differently from breaching a ban imposed on you.

If you want to compare how self-exclusion works across the region, including durations and what each scheme covers, see self-exclusion schemes compared. For what happens to your accounts and balances once you are excluded, see what happens during self-exclusion.

Third-party exclusion orders and visit limits

Not every ban starts with the person. A Third-Party Exclusion Order is imposed by the NCPG without any application, to ban or limit visits to the casino for individuals who have a poor credit record or are vulnerable to financial harm because of their gambling behavior². The NCPG can also impose a third-party visit limit, which restricts how often you can go rather than banning you outright¹⁶.

The purpose is stated plainly: to protect financially vulnerable citizens and permanent residents who gamble at the local casinos or who have a poor credit record¹⁷. These orders are imposed by the NCPG, not requested by the person affected¹⁸.

Family exclusion orders work the other way around. They are imposed on application by a family member, and the NCPG can ban or limit visits where the person's gambling behavior has caused harm to their family². If you are the relative rather than the gambler, that is the route to look at, and family exclusion orders explains how the application works.

A visit limit is worth understanding if you are not ready to stop entirely. It does not put you on the banned list in the same way an exclusion order does. It caps your visits, and the NCPG administers both third-party exclusions and visit limits through the same service¹⁸.

Entry levy: SGD 150 a day for locals

Singapore charges its own citizens and permanent residents to walk into a casino. The entry levy is SGD 150 for every consecutive period of 24 hours³. That replaced the previous SGD 100 figure, changed by the Casino Control Amendment Act 2024¹⁹.

The levy applies to Singapore citizens and permanent residents entering casino premises³. Foreign visitors do not pay it. If you are a citizen or PR and you enter without paying, you are liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding SGD 1,500, and you are still liable for the amount of the entry levy itself³.

So the practical arithmetic for a local player is straightforward: SGD 150 buys you 24 hours of access, and the clock restarts if you stay longer. For a visitor, the cost is zero, but the age and exclusion rules still apply to you.

Penalties for an excluded person who enters

A casino-excluded person who knows, or ought reasonably to know, that they are excluded must not enter or remain on casino premises, or take part in any casino gambling or promotional game there. Contravening that is an offense¹⁵.

There is an important qualification. The offense does not apply to a person excluded only by self-exclusion under section 165AA or a voluntary visit limit under section 165B(1)¹⁵. The distinction is deliberate: a ban imposed on you for financial vulnerability or by a family member is enforced as an offense, while breaking your own voluntary self-exclusion is handled differently.

The casino side has obligations too. Excluded people are not to enter casino premises, and the operator must bar them⁹. In practice this means your identity is checked against the exclusion list, and a match at the entrance stops you there.

If you are excluded and you are unsure whether a particular activity is covered, the safest reading is the broad one. An excluded person must not engage in any gambling in or from Singapore in contravention of the ban that applies to them⁸.

Minors and proof of age

A minor, for Singapore casino purposes, is anyone below 21 years of age⁴. A minor must not enter or remain on casino premises, or take part in any gaming there⁴. The Act has a separate section headed "Minors not to enter casino premises"⁸.

Acceptable proof of age is documentary evidence proving you are at least 21, or evidence the Authority has declared acceptable⁴. Bring your passport or national ID card. A student card will not do.

The age rules differ across Asia, so do not assume the Singapore number travels with you. In Macau, for example, the minimum age for casino entry is 21. In the Philippines, PAGCOR rules bar anyone under 21, and students of any school, college or university in the Philippines are also not allowed to play⁵. If you are traveling with a 19-year-old, plan around it.

Barred categories in Philippine casinos

The Philippines runs its own banned list, and it is broader than Singapore's in some respects. Under PAGCOR's regulatory framework for gaming venue operations, the operator must not allow entry, stay or play from a defined set of people⁵.

The barred categories are⁵:

Banning orders in the Philippines apply nationwide, and a ban may be a self-exclusion, a family exclusion or one emanating from the licensee⁵. The student rule is the one visitors most often miss: an 18-year-old university student is barred even though they are an adult in most other contexts.

For the wider picture on what is legal and where in the region, the Singapore country guide and the Philippines country guide cover the ground rules for each jurisdiction.