Gambling Sites Being Blocked

Published: February 22, 2016

For quite some time, Singapore gamblers were free to access operating online casinos, where they could play many great real money games with no legal consequences. Recently, a new law has been passed and many leading Singapore gambling sites are now being blocked. The law is an attempt to protect the residents of Singapore from the harmful effects of gambling, so players may soon find they can no longer access their favourite casino sites. The Ministry of Home Affairs is in full support of the new law and believes that this will deter minors and vulnerable residents from online gambling.

A Gambling Regulatory Unit will be created and this will monitor all gambling websites and payments that are made to these sites by Singapore players. There will also be research performed to track just home many residents are visiting gambling sites on a regular basis. To collect this data, the authorities at MHA will work with other countries like France.

The Remote Gambling Act was passed in 2015 and states that anyone gambling through an unlicensed casino will be in violation of the act. It is also a violation for players to use a mobile phone or any other mobile device to gamble online. There are penalties that will be faced, which can include 6 months in prison or a $3700 fine. Any gambling site that is found to be attracting minors to their sites will face even more severe penalties. Gambling establishments will also be banned from advertising any gambling services to residents of Singapore.

This new law was passed in early 2016, and since then the MHA has focused on their efforts to prohibit access to any online gambling site. Service Providers and financial institutions that help players gain access to such sites will also be punished. Money transfers will now be declined when being made to any gambling site. These laws will severely impact how Singapore players gamble online and while they may still be able to access some sites, they will soon be restricted from any site that offers a form of gambling. These attempts will reduce the attempts of minors who are accessing sites and will also help to prevent problem gambling within the country.