April 03, 2020, 02:08 PM
A new statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs will regulate all forms of gambling in Singapore, by 2021.
The new statutory board will be called the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), MHA said in a press release on Apr. 3.
MHA also said that it will be reviewing and amending gambling-related legislation by 2021.
Gambling Regulatory Authority
Currently, gambling regulation is overseen by various agencies, including the CRA, the Gambling Regulatory Unit in MHA, and the Singapore Totalisator Board.
The creation of the GRA will allow gambling regulatory resources to be handled by a single agency.
This is so that the GRA can keep up with technological and global trends, respond to emerging gambling products more quickly, and to take a more holistic approach to gambling policies and issues.
MHA said that the new GRA will work with partners to ensure that the harms of gambling continue to be adequately addressed.
These partners include the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the National Council on Problem Gambling.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will continue to enforce the laws against illegal gambling activities.
Gambling Legislation to be reviewed
MHA will be reviewing all gambling legislation by 2021, so that it will be able to "effectively address" new kinds of gambling products and business models.
MHA said that technology has changed the way people gamble and made gambling more accessible, while businesses have introduced gambling elements in products not traditionally seen as gambling.
It cited the example of "mystery boxes" and said that it would study the need to regulate such products as part of this review.
Police had previously issued a public advisory against machines offering mystery prizes, which are considered a form of public lottery.
Gambling regulation "has delivered good outcomes"
MHA also said that the gambling regulatory framework here "has delivered good outcomes."
From 2011 to 2019, casino crimes contributed to less than one per cent of overall crime, while the number of people arrested for illegal gambling decreased by 28 per cent.
Problem gambling is "under control", with the rate of problem gambling remaining relatively stable, at less than one per cent over the past five years, according to MHA.
MHA's stance towards gambling remains "generally prohibitive"
MHA said that it would "retain a generally prohibitive stance towards gambling", and that it would maintain its current "risk-based regulatory approach towards existing gambling operators."
Top image via Unsplash.
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