Singapore sports betting and lotteries report US$6.78bn in full-year wagers
Spending was the highest on record for the past decade.
Singapore.- The Tote Board has reported that SG$9.2bn (US$6.78bn) was spent betting on sports and lotteries in Singapore in the financial year ending March 30 2022. The figure was up 40 per cent year-on-year and is the highest in the past decade.
The Tote Board is a statutory board controlled by the Ministry of Finance that governs lottery operator Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club, which operates the horse races. Lotteries comprise 4-D, Toto and Singapore Sweep, while sports betting covers football and motor racing bets.
Meanwhile, betting on horse racing reached SG$818m, up 65 per cent from the SG$496m a year ago when the Singapore Turf Club closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Singapore Pools outlets, the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore’s two casinos were closed from April 7 to June 1, 2020. Singapore Pools retail outlets reopened in June 2020.
Casino entry levies were up 10 per cent from SG$114m to SG$125m. Singaporeans and permanent residents must pay SG$150 to enter casinos.
Singapore: over 2,400 arrested for illegal gambling in last 3 years
As previously reported by Focus Gaming News, 2,400 people have been arrested for illegal gambling in Singapore in the last three years. According to The Straits Times, more than 800 arrests were for illicit betting.
The Singapore Pools is the only licenced operator of sports betting and lotteries in the country, and authorities have signalled their intention to step up enforcement during the World Cup.
