SINGAPORE: Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents (PRs) will have to pay 50 per cent more to enter the casinos at the two local integrated resorts (IRs) from Thursday (Apr 4), as the Government continues efforts to keep problem gambling under control.
This was announced by the ministries of trade and industry, finance, home affairs and social and family development on Wednesday.
AdvertisementFrom Thursday, the daily levy for Singaporeans and PRs will be increased to S$150 from S$100 previously, while the annual levy will rise to S$3,000 from S$2,000.
[h=3]READ: Singapore’s two integrated resorts set to grow with $9 billion investment plan[/h]The announcement comes as the gaming industry is seeking to expand their operations with the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa committing around S$9 billion in non-gaming investments.
Factors such as the potential dangers posed by gambling, household income levels and prices of alternatives gambling locations in the region were considered during the price review.
AdvertisementAdvertisementPatrons will also only be able to renew their casino entry levy within six hours of the expiry of their current daily or annual levy starting from Aug 1. The levy will be automatically activated after six hours of purchase.
Local visitorship to the casinos has “declined significantly” over the last decade and problem gambling remains “under control”, the ministries said. The probable problem and pathological gambling rate has decreased to 0.9 per cent in 2017 from 2.6 per cent when the IRs first opened, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).
The number of active casino exclusions as of Dec 31, 2018 was about 67,500. Of this, about 57.9 per cent were under automatic exclusion, including undischarged bankrupts and those receiving financial or legal aid from the Government.
About 38.2 per cent were under family exclusion, while the rest have excluded themselves from gambling at the casinos.
On top of this, about 7,000 Singaporeans and Singapore PRs have their monthly casino visits capped, with 71.9 per cent of the limits imposed by the NCPG.
Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said the Government has been monitoring the potential social impact of gaming closely.
“Although problem gambling has not worsened since the introduction of the IRs, we are nevertheless wary of the dangers posed by gambling, in particular online gambling, which has become an increasingly serious threat,” said Mr Chan.
He added: “In order to further limit the social impact of problem gambling on our local population, MBS and RWS have agreed to work with MSF to study how to help casino patrons make more informed decisions on their level of play.”
An example of how technology is being used to help gamblers make informed decisions in overseas casinos is the ability to set a gambling budget and be reminded when a certain proportion of their budget is surpassed. Other features include setting loss limits, time limits and tracking one’s own gambling habits.
“MSF will also work with VWOs to train their gaming area employees on Responsible Gambling, so that casinos can better identify at-risk patrons and refer them to appropriate help before problem gambling sets in.”
Taxes on gross gaming revenues will also be increased after the current moratorium expires in February 2022 from the current flat rates of 15 per cent for mass gaming and 5 per cent on premium gaming.
A new 10-year moratorium will subject the IRs to tiered tax rates of between 18 per cent and 22 per cent for mass gaming, and from 8 per cent to 12 per cent for premium gaming.
If the IR fails to meet its investment commitments, however, flat tax rates of 22 per cent will apply on its mass gaming revenue, and 12 per cent on its premium gaming revenue.
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