Horse Racing in Singapore

Horse racing was part of Singapore life for well over a century, from the days when the public paid $4 for admission in 1960 to the air-conditioned Grandstand at Kranji that could hold 30,000 racegoers. That era came to an end on October 5, 2024, when the Singapore Turf Club ran its final meeting. If you are in Singapore today, there is no local racing to watch, but there is still a full menu of horse race betting on overseas races through Singapore Pools, the country's sole licensed operator for horse wagering. This page covers what happened to the Turf Club, what you can still bet on, how the bets work, and how to place them.

Why the Turf Club closed and what happens to the Kranji site

In June 2023, the Singapore government announced that racing in Singapore would cease, citing a housing shortage, and the end came quickly after that. The Singapore Turf Club held its last race on October 5, 2024, and ceased operations in 2024, with its facility set to close by FY2026⁶. The club had managed and operated the sport of horse racing at the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji, a purpose-built 124-hectare site where work began in 1996⁷.

The final meeting drew a crowd. All the free admission tickets to Grandstand Level 1 were snapped up online, with only a limited number available for on-site redemption, and thousands gathered to witness the last races. Horse exportation began right after the final race and was completed by March 2026¹.

The land is not staying a racecourse. The 124ha site will be returned to the government by March 2027 and is set to make way for housing and other developments¹. So if you are looking for the Kranji racecourse today, there is nothing to visit: no race days, no opening hours, no Grandstand admission.

For context on what the venue was like in its racing years: the fully air-conditioned five-storey Grandstand had seating for 13,000 and could accommodate up to 30,000 racegoers. Race days were held on selected Fridays, Sundays and public holidays, and entry to the Level 1 Grandstand started at $6 for the general public, with prior reservations required for exclusive areas such as the Marquee, the Lotus Room next to the track, the Gold Card Room on Level 2 and the Corporate Boxes⁷. All of that is now history.

Singapore was not alone in this. Within the Malayan Racing Association, the Singapore Turf Club and Penang Turf Club have both ceased operations, in 2024 and 2025 respectively⁸.

Where racing fans can still bet: Singapore Pools and overseas races

Although there are no more Singapore races, Singapore Pools operates totalisator betting on racing in overseas jurisdictions, with its pools commingled with overseas totalisators². In practice this means you are betting into the same pools as punters in the country where the race is run, and the odds move with the money in those pools.

The main commingling partner is HKJC Horse Racing Betting Limited, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's betting arm, which offers Win, Place, Forecast, Place Forecast, Tierce and Triple Trio bet types for commingling². Hong Kong racing, with its meetings most Wednesdays and weekends, is the backbone of the overseas menu, and Roll Win is offered on Hong Kong races, sharing the same betting pool as the Win bet³.

Singapore Pools is the sole betting licensee for lottery, sports betting and horse wagering in Singapore⁹, so this is the only legal route to horse race betting from inside the country. Bets can be placed:

• At selected Singapore Pools outlets, using bet slips¹⁰
• At betting centers, all branches and Livewire venues with the bet slips provided¹¹
• Online or through the mobile app, using a Singapore Pools Account, right up to the start of the race¹²
• By phone, also using a Singapore Pools Account¹⁰

One thing to know about watching: there is no horse racing live telecast at Livewire venues¹³, though the Singapore Pools app offers live streaming of horse races with in-app betting¹⁴. Livewire venues show live horse racing availability until the final live football match concludes¹⁵, so they are more football-focused venues where racing bets can also be placed.

If you want the full racecourse experience again, the nearest option is a trip across the border or further afield; see gambling trips abroad from Singapore for how that works.

Bet types at Singapore Pools: Win, Place, Forecast, Tierce, Trio and more

The bet types come straight from the Horse Race Betting Game Rules, which apply to all bets placed on or after July 6, 2026². The full list:

The simplest bets are Win and Place. Everything from Forecast onward is an "exotic": harder to land, cheaper to enter, and capable of much bigger payouts. The minimum bet for Win/Place is S$5³; other bet types carry their own minimum stakes, which are shown on the bet slip or in the app when you place the bet.

A note on race information: before the start of a race, Singapore Pools is only obliged to display up to three bet combinations with the highest aggregate pool for any bet type, and this is deemed full and complete race information¹⁶. So do not expect every combination's pool size to be shown.

If your horse is scratched, bets on scratched horses are refunded; otherwise refunds are not available except where the rules for a particular bet type provide for them².

Commissions and how winnings are calculated

Horse race betting in Singapore is parimutuel (totalisator) betting: everyone's stakes go into a pool, the operator takes its commission and government tax off the top, and the rest is divided among the winners. The rules state that winnings are calculated from the total stakes of each betting pool after the deduction of government tax and commission².

The commission rates depend on the bet type and where the pool sits:

• For Win, Place, Forecast, Place Forecast and Double betting where Singapore Pools receives pools collected by overseas totalisators, the commission is 18%²
• For Tierce, Trio, Quartet, Quadro, Double Trio and Triple Trio betting on the same basis, the commission is 25%²
• For pools of bets collected within Singapore and transmitted to an overseas totalisator for commingling, the commission follows the rates set by the relevant commingling partner from time to time²

Winnings are declared per unit bet: the net pool is divided by the number of unit bets on the winning combination. Singapore Pools may declare winnings in multiples of S$1, rounded down to the nearest dollar, or in fractions of a dollar².

A worked example of the mechanics: if a net Win pool after deductions is S$100,000 and 2,000 unit bets were placed on the winning horse, each unit pays S$50. Your actual dividend depends on the pool and how many people share it, which is why exotic bets on longshots can pay so much more than odds-on favorites.

On tax: winnings from betting or lottery in Singapore are not taxable, because they are windfalls and not considered income⁴. More detail is on our page on tax on gambling winnings in Singapore.

How to bet: outlets, betting centers, phone and the app

You have four main ways to place a horse racing bet, and the right one depends on how you like to bet.

At outlets and betting centers with bet slips. Horse racing bets can be placed at selected Singapore Pools outlets only, not all of them¹⁰. Bet slips are accepted at betting centers, all branches and Livewire venues¹¹. You mark a thick line in the box on the slip to indicate your selection, then mark the bet type, race number, selection and stake, and hand it to the counter with your money. Note that when placing bets at betting centers, only cash payments are accepted¹⁰. Keep your ticket intact, because service staff need to verify it to pay any prize¹⁷.

Online with a Singapore Pools Account. You must first have a Singapore Pools Account to place bets online¹⁸. With an account you can place Sports, Lottery and Horse Racing bets and track your transactions online, and you can place horse racing bets right up to the start of the race¹². The flow in the app: make your selections, review your bets, tap "Place Bet", then confirm with the "Confirm" button. Once the bet is placed successfully, a confirmation message appears above the bet receipt, and you can check everything under Transaction History³. The updated app also lets you save favorite 4D and TOTO numbers, add football events to a watchlist, and watch live streaming of horse races with in-app betting¹⁴.

By phone. The Singapore Pools Account can also be used to place bets by phone¹⁰.

At Livewire venues. Livewire venues accept horse racing bets, though as noted above there is no horse racing live telecast there¹³.

A few practical points on accounts and money. Betting accounts are funded only with cash, NETS, eNETS and personal bank account debit transfer¹⁹. Bets placed at outlets cannot be tracked; if you want a record of your bets, sign up for an account and bet online¹⁰. The account is for online and phone betting only, not for use at outlets¹⁰. For the wider picture on moving money in and out, see gambling payments in Singapore.

Claiming winnings. Winnings on account bets are credited automatically, generally within 30 minutes after results are confirmed for horse racing²⁰. For tickets:

• Prizes of S$5,000 or below can be claimed in cash or by PayNow at any Singapore Pools outlet²⁰
• PayNow works at any outlet up to S$20,000, and at the head office up to S$200,000²⁰
• Prizes above S$5,000 are handled at the head office at 210 Middle Road, where you can receive the money by PayNow up to S$200,000 or take a check²⁰
• You have 180 days from the race to claim, including weekends and public holidays; after that, unclaimed prizes go to the Tote Board for charitable donations²⁰
• Bring the winning ticket plus photo ID: NRIC for citizens and permanent residents, passport for foreigners, with the name matching your bank records²⁰
• PayNow claims must be registered to your NRIC number; PayNow accounts linked to mobile numbers are not accepted²⁰

Tickets are bearer tickets: anyone holding a valid winning ticket can claim the prize, so treat a winning ticket like cash. If you find one, hand it to the police; claiming a prize with someone else's ticket and keeping the money is against the law²⁰. If a PayNow prize does not arrive in your bank account, Singapore Pools investigates and replies within three to five working days²⁰. One small extra: customers collecting prizes of S$5,000 or more at the head office receive financial planning tips and responsible gambling messages under the Care for Winners program¹⁹.

Who can bet and attend: age and access rules

The age rules differ by channel, so here is the plain version:

• 18 years old to bet at Singapore Pools outlets, betting centers other than Livewire, and authorized retailers⁵
• 21 years old to enter Livewire betting centers, where live broadcasts of sports events, races and odds can be viewed⁵
• 21 years old to apply for a Singapore Pools Account, which you need for online and phone betting¹⁹

These ages apply to everyone in Singapore, citizens, residents and visitors alike; there is no separate rule for foreigners in horse race betting, unlike the casino entry levy system covered on our casinos in Singapore page. Singapore Pools does not accept bets or pay prizes to anyone under the legal age⁹.

Since the Kranji racecourse is closed, there is no racecourse entry to worry about; in the racing years, guests had to be 18 or over to enter on race days⁷.

If betting stops being fun, Singapore runs help services for problem gambling, covered on our gambling help in Singapore page.