Singapore has blocked 3,800 illegal gambling sites & $37M in transactions as of Dec 31, 2024.
Singapore has blocked over 3,800 illegal gambling websites and approximately $37 million in related transactions as of December 31, 2024. Authorities are attempting to disrupt the flow of funds to these illegal operations and mitigating their economic impact.
Online gambling is currently illegal in Singapore. The city-state currently has two land-based casinos within entertainment complexes such as Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealed these figures last January 8. These measures target websites frequented by Singaporean users and represent over 145,000 individual transactions.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam acknowledged the limitations of website blocking, stating that operators can easily create new sites. This highlights the ongoing challenge of combating illegal online gambling and its drain on the legitimate economy. The blocked $37 million represents funds diverted from regulated industries and potential tax revenue.
“These blocking measures have impeded access to illegal online gambling to some extent. However, this approach is clearly not foolproof as illegal operators can easily create new websites, and we do not have the ability to know of every gambling website,” Shanmugam said.
The MHA encourages public reporting of illegal gambling platforms and related financial accounts.
The Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that it currently has no plans to allow families to request the blocking of bank accounts used by problem gamblers. The Ministry expressed its belief that existing measures are adequate, citing a consistently low and stable rate of approximately one percent for pathological and problem gambling.
Read related article: Singapore Gambling Declines, But Illegal Online Betting Rises
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