In forceUpdated to 21 Sep 2026

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Gambling Control Act 2022 · Updated to 21 Sep 2026 · Part 2 · Offences

22. Conducting games, lotteries, etc., that are not approved

(1)

A person must not conduct a betting operation involving —

(a)

the placing, making, receiving, accepting or negotiating of any bets on the outcome of any race, competition, sporting event or other event or process taking place in Singapore or elsewhere if that race, competition, sporting event or other event or process is not approved under section 70; or

(b)

any of the following in a manner that is not in conformity with rules of betting approved by the Authority under section 70 for that activity and person:

(i)

placing, making, receiving, accepting or negotiating of any bets;

(ii)

operating a betting exchange or betting information centre; (iii)operating a totalisator;

(iv)

organising pool betting.

(2)

A person must not conduct gaming involving a game of chance (but not a gaming machine game in a gaming machine) —

(a)

that is not approved under section 70 for that person; or

(b)

in a manner that is not in conformity with the rules of the game of chance approved under section 70 for that game.

(3)

A person must not conduct a lottery —

(a)

that is not approved under section 70 for that person; or

(b)

in a manner that is not in conformity with the rules of the lottery approved under section 70 for that lottery.

(4)

Subject to subsection (5), a person who contravenes subsection (1), (2) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence and —

(a)

shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years; but(b)where the person is a repeat offender, shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $700,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.

(5)

However, a person who —

(a)

contravenes subsection (1) by engaging in conduct described in section 6(2);

(b)

contravenes subsection (2) by engaging in conduct described in section 8(3); or (c)contravenes subsection (3) by engaging in conduct described in section 10(2),shall be guilty of an offence and —

(d)

shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $200,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years; but(e)where the person is a repeat offender, shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $300,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years.

(6)

However, a person is not guilty of any offence under this section if the person proves, on a balance of probabilities, that the person at the time of conducting the betting operation, gaming or lottery, did not know, and had no reasonable cause to suspect, that the betting operation, gaming or lottery (as the case may be) would be in contravention of subsection (1), (2) or (3).

(7)

An offence under this section is an arrestable offence.

(8)

Strict liability applies to offences under subsections (4) and (5), respectively.

(9)

This section does not extend to the following:

(a)

engaging in conduct within a casino;

(b)

a class licensee who provides a gambling service according to a class licence applicable to that class licensee and gambling service.

Terms defined in s 3

Authority
Defined · s 3
“Authority” means the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore, which is the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore continued and renamed under section 3 of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022;
Open s 3
casino
Defined · s 3
“casino” means any premises in Singapore that is covered by a casino licence granted under section 49 of the Casino Control Act 2006;
Open s 3
class licence
Defined · s 3
“class licence” means a class licence determined under an order made under section 60(1) and as from time to time varied under section 61;
Open s 3
class licensee
Defined · s 3
“class licensee” means a person to which a class licence applies;
Open s 3
event
Defined · s 3
“event” includes a contingency relating to an event;
Open s 3
gambling service
Defined · s 3
“gambling service” means any of the following services, including such a service provided through a gambling service agent:(a)a service comprising wholly or in part of —(i)the placing, making, receiving, accepting or negotiating of bets;(ii)operating a betting exchange or betting information centre; (iii)operating a totalisator;(iv)organising pool betting;(v)matching gamblers; (vi)laying or offering odds; or(vii)offering an opportunity to or otherwise facilitating others to bet in accordance with arrangements made by the service provider;(b)a service for the conduct of a lottery; (c)a service for the supply of lottery tickets; (d)a service —(i)for others to play a game of chance; or (ii)offering an opportunity to or otherwise facilitating others to play a game of chance, for a prize in accordance with arrangements made by the service provider;(e)a service of controlling or operating a computer server —(i)in Singapore that enables any game of chance to be played by others in Singapore or elsewhere by remote communication for a prize; or(ii)in Singapore or elsewhere that enables any game of chance to be played by others in Singapore by remote communication for a prize;(f)a service of making available to others any gaming machine for the purpose of gambling;
Open s 3
lottery
Defined · s 3
“lottery” has the meaning given by section 9;
Open s 3
place
Defined · s 3
“place” includes any premises and any conveyance, and any part of any premises or conveyance;
Open s 3
repeat offender
Defined · s 3
“repeat offender”, in relation to any offence under this Act, means a person who —(a)is convicted, or found guilty, of such an offence (called the current offence); and(b)has been convicted or found guilty, on at least one other earlier occasion before the date on which the person is convicted or found guilty of the current offence, of —(i)the same offence; or(ii)another offence prescribed as a countable offence in respect of the current offence;
Open s 3
sporting event
Defined · s 3
“sporting event” means a sport or competition, or an exhibition, entertainment or activity, involving primarily the exercise of physical prowess or dexterity, physical strength, physical stamina or mental stamina and to the extent that —(a)human beings are the only contestants or participants who take part in or play the sport, competition, exhibition, entertainment or activity; or(b)it is a sport or competition, or an exhibition, entertainment or activity in which human beings take part in —(i)by riding animals or exercise of other skill in relation to animals;(ii)by driving, piloting, crewing any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or other form of transport;(iii)by competing with natural obstacles or natural forces, or by overcoming them; or(iv)by using a computer on a computer monitor, television screen, mobile device or similar medium with electronically recorded data installed in to support an interactive computer game or computer‑generated images,and includes a match, a series of matches, a race, a series of races, a time trial, a qualification session, a tournament and a round, but does not include the following:(c)any game of chance; (d)any fitness activity or recreational activity that is not organised in the course of any business;
Open s 3
totalisator
Defined · s 3
“totalisator” has the meaning given by section 5(9);
Open s 3

Read on from s 23

Part 3

Presumptions and Evidence

Read on from Part 3

Part 4

Licensing

Read on from Part 4

Part 5

Gambling Venue and Games Approval

Read on from Part 5

Part 6

Harm Minimisation and Integrity Protection Measures

Read on from Part 6

Part 7

Regulatory Sanctions

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Part 8

Reconsideration and Appeals

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Part 9

Enforcement

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Part 10

Administration

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Part 11

Miscellaneous

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Part 12

Amendments to Casino Control Act 2006

Read on from Part 12

Part 13

Repeals, Amendments to Other Acts and Final Provisions

Read on from Part 13

Schedules

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