More than 3,800 illegal gambling websites have been blocked by the Singapore government, stated Minister of Home Affairs K. Shanmugam. He was cited by The Straits Times newspaper.
More than 145,000 illegal gambling transactions involving the Singapore public, amounting to approximately SGD37 million (US$27.0 million), had been blocked as of December 31, 2024, added the news outlet.
“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,” Mr Shanmugam was quoted as saying on Wednesday in comments made during a session in the city-state’s parliament.
Since January 1, Singapore’s police have taken over the work of blocking illegal gambling websites in the city-state, according to an announcement by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore.
The definitions and offences of illegal online gambling are covered by the city-state’s Gambling Control Act, which came into effect in August 2022.
Some provisions under Singapore’s new Casino Control (Amendment) Act 2024, a statute passed by the parliament in September, came into effect on October 30.
