Singapore has eased its total restriction on online gambling and will allow two state-connected operators to begin offering online games, but they cannot offer casino games or online poker.
The country’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced it has exempted state-linked Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club from legislation that blocks access to online gambling sites and electronic payments.
Both operators said they will launch online sports betting services in the next two months. The sites, however, cannot offer casino-style games or poker, the ministry said. They companies will also face fines of Sg$1.0 million ($734,000) for every guideline breach.
“While our blocking regime is one of the most comprehensive in the world… it is not straightforward to eradicate remote gambling totally,” the ministry said in a press statement. “A complete ban would only serve to drive more remote gambling underground, making it harder to detect, and exacerbate the associated law and order and social concerns. A tightly-controlled exempt operator regime mitigates such concerns.”
The move is not without opposition as an online petition against allowing the two operators to accept online bets has reportedly gained more than 10,000 signatures in less than two weeks.
