1. The Casino Control (Amendment) Act 2024 (the “Act”) was passed in Parliament on 10 September 2024. The Act will:
(a) Enhance the operational effectiveness of our casino regulatory regime;
(b) Tighten the regulation of the casinos and licensees;
(c) Strengthen protection for vulnerable groups; and
(d) Regularise the casino entry levies collected from 4 April to 7 May 2024.
2. The following provisions in the Act will come into effect on 30 October 2024.
Tighten the Regulation of the Casinos and Licensees
3. To ensure our laws remain effective in deterring casino-related crimes, the Casino Control Act (CCA) will be amended to:
(a) Introduce an offence for any person to destroy or falsify documents, knowing that the document is required to be produced to the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) under the CCA. While it is already an offence for a person to destroy or falsify such documents, the offence will be amended to also cover any other person who handles or has access to the document (e.g. staff of the casino operator (CO)).
(b) Align the penalties of existing offences with similar offences in other laws. This includes increasing the penalties for: (i) providing false or misleading information to GRA, so that penalties are aligned to those of similar offences under the Banking Act;1 and (ii) a minor refusing to give particulars or using false evidence of age to enter a casino, so that the penalties are aligned to similar offences under the Gambling Control Act.2
4. The CCA will also be amended to allow GRA to take disciplinary action against COs and special employees for regulatory breaches even after their licences have lapsed, if the disciplinary action had commenced prior to the licence lapsing.3 This ensures licensees do not avoid punishment for failing regulatory requirements, despite the lapse of their licences.
Strengthen the Regulation of Main Shareholders, Substantial Shareholders and Controllers
5. The CCA governs the acquisition and disposal of shares in the COs, and allows only approved persons to be main shareholders, substantial shareholders, or controllers of the COs.4 The CCA will be amended to enhance the approval regime for such persons:
(a) For main shareholders, powers related to the approval of associated divestments and acquisitions5 will be transferred from GRA to the Minister for Home Affairs. The Minister for Home Affairs is better placed than GRA to take into account whole-of-Government considerations, in deciding whether to approve divestments and acquisitions relating to main shareholdings.
(b) For controllers and substantial shareholders, related regulatory powers6 will be transferred from the Minister for Home Affairs to GRA. These are regulatory decisions relating to the suitability of persons who may exert influence or control over casino operations, and hence more appropriately undertaken by GRA.
(c) The criteria for identifying associates under the controlled shareholdings regime will be tightened. Currently, other than the corporate entity with controlled shareholdings in the casinos, all its related corporations (e.g. sister companies) are also subject to GRA’s approval. The CCA will be amended such that only corporations that are able to exercise influence or control over the CO will be subject to GRA’s approval.
Regularise Collection of Entry Levies
6. The casino entry levy serves as a social safeguard to deter casual and impulse gambling among Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.
7. The CCA will be amended to reflect the existing entry levy rates (i.e. $150 for the daily levy, and $3,000 for the annual levy). The entry levies collected from 4 April to 7 May 2024, which were higher than the legislated amount at that time,7 will also be regularised. This is in line with the Government’s intent for introducing the higher entry levy rates, and maintains the effectiveness of the entry levy as a social safeguard.
8. The other provisions under the Act will be operationalised at a later date. For more information on the Act, please refer to the Annex.
[1] The revised penalties will be: (i) for individuals, a fine of up to $125,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both; and (ii) for others (e.g. corporate entities), a fine of up to $250,000.
[2] The revised penalty will be a fine of up to $10,000.
[3] This already applies to other gambling licensees regulated under the Gambling Control Act.
[4] Main shareholders are designated by the Minister for Home Affairs in subsidiary legislation; controllers are persons who have at least 12% stake in or significant control over the CO; and substantial shareholders are persons who have at least 5% stake in the CO.
[5] These are the powers to approve: (i) the transfer and disposal of a main shareholder’s shares in the CO, if it leads to them owning less stake than any other shareholder; and (ii) any other persons’ acquisition of stake in a CO, if it leads to them owning more stake than the main shareholder.
[6] These include the powers to approve a person becoming a substantial shareholder or a controller (or exempt such persons from approvals), and direct someone to cease to be a substantial shareholder or controller.
[7] On 4 April 2019, the casino entry levies for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents were increased from $100 to $150 for the daily levy, and from $2,000 to $3,000 for the annual levy. This was operationalised via the Casino Control (Variation of Entry Levies) Order 2019, which was valid for five years up to 3 April 2024. While it was always the Government’s intent to maintain the higher entry levies beyond the five-year period, MHA had overlooked the expiry of the 2019 Order, and the entry levy automatically reverted to the lower rates on 4 April 2024. MHA thereafter introduced the Casino Control (Variation of Entry Levies) Order 2024 on 8 May 2024 to prospectively restore the daily levy.
Annex – Information on the Casino Control (Amendment) Act
1. MHA Press Release on the Introduction of the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill
