Online casino Singapore has always been a hot topic in the gambling industry. Singapore has always been the tourism hub of Asia, and thus, inquiries on gambling and casino scenes in Singapore are frequent.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority is the monitoring agency for casinos and gambling in Singapore. They consider online casinos that carry out gambling illegal in Singapore. But still, there are specific clauses in the law through which many online casinos Singapore function in the country.
The article below traces the journey of Singapore from the past to the present, where even international gambling and casino enthusiasts are investing significant money in online casinos in Singapore.
Singapore Online Casinos: Major Laws Involved
Singapore laws primarily classify gambling activities into three. They are:
- Betting
- Gaming
- Lottery
Although betting and lottery are illegal under Singapore gambling laws, certain games experience exclusion from the laws. If the games are not based on pure luck or chance but based on some skills, they are usually approved by the law. Checking the trusted online casino Singapore review is crucial for this reason.
The primary gambling and casino laws in Singapore that decide on matters related to online casinos are:
- The Gambling Control Act, 2022
- Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act, 2022
Both these acts were recently passed in the parliament as laws, giving them more power to exercise.
Objectives of Singapore Casino Laws
- Keep up with the new trends in online and offline casinos and identify new products or trends in casinos and gambling.
- Establishing safeguards for society from developing unhealthy addictions towards casinos or preventing them from losing significant sums of money.
- Creating regulatory frameworks to monitor violations of the law and punish the violators
Features of Singapore Casino Laws
- The gambling laws harmonize the different gambling and casino regulations under one act, making it much easier to practice.
- The laws provide a broader definition of gambling and bring all new gambling ways under them.
- The laws also provide approval to online and offline casinos that abide by the guidelines established under the laws.
- These casino laws regulate all gambling activities under three regimes: the licensing regime, the class-licensing regime, and the social gambling exception.
Singapore Online Casinos: The Journey
Online casinos and online gambling started developing in Singapore in the mid-2000s. Gambling was the most popular casino game during the initial days. The growth of the internet and personal smart gadgets increased the demand for online casinos in Singapore.
Singapore, being a tourism center, has much international attention. Online casinos used this international attention and started an online casino tourism phase in Singapore. But very soon, the country’s gambling laws ensured that these online casinos were not going overboard.
As of now, more than 50 online casinos function in Singapore. Almost all of them are functioning within the law themselves. The registered and reputable online casinos advertise and publish their official documents on their websites. New players are advised to review them before engaging to ensure they deal with a registered casino.
How to Pick a Safe Online Casino in Singapore?
As many options are available, the players, especially the beginners, might get overwhelmed. This may lead them to take part in subpar or scam online casinos. To avoid this, the players must consider the following safety features before signing in to an online casino in Singapore.
1. License
- Gambling and several casino games are illegal in Singapore. So, it is crucial to join a licensed online casino in Singapore.
- Players should go to the casino’s official website and look for their license agreement. You can go through the document correctly and check whether they are licensed under the Singapore gambling laws.
- People engaging in the activities of an unregistered online casino will have to face many consequences as they are punishable under the Singapore casino laws.
2. Safe Payment Options
- One of the significant challenges people face using the internet is the risk of sharing banking details with the wrong person.
- In an online casino, as payments must be made, the player must provide their sensitive banking information.
- It is vital to find the data sharing policy of the website and how they manage the player’s sensitive data.
- Safe payment options are a must for an excellent online casino.
- The player must ensure that enough safe payment options, like e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, etc., are available on the platform.
- Transactions through cryptocurrencies provide the safest environment for the player.
3. Privacy Protection
- Privacy breaching is a common challenge for people using public platforms.
- The player has to consider and compare the privacy protection features available at various online casinos before settling on one option.
- Suppose the player’s privacy is not properly protected. In that case, chances are high for the site to share or sell personal information, like name, contact info, email details, etc., to third-party websites.
- The player must read through the online casinos’ privacy protection policy.
- If you experience privacy violations at an unregistered online casino, the law cannot help you with it. So, it is important to check the legality of the casino before playing.
4. Grievance Redressal
Source: play3r.net- At online casinos, a player can have many safety issues.
- The casinos should have a proper customer care system to take care of such issues.
- The customer care team at online casinos should have trained individuals.
- They should be easily approachable.
- It is better to have multiple ways to contact the customer care team.
- A dedicated customer care team protects players’ privacy, data, and payment information. They also provide the players with enough assistance in case of any safety compromises.
5. Withdrawal Policies
- Some major scams at online casinos happen at the stage of cash withdrawal.
- If you have not correctly gone through the withdrawal guidelines of an online casino, chances are high for you to get scammed.
- Many subpar online casinos provide insufficient details regarding the withdrawal limit and duration, making it difficult for the players to withdraw their prize money as and when required.
- It is advisable to check the withdrawal limits beforehand to ensure you can withdraw money whenever you like.
