Crypto Casinos in Singapore: The Gambling Control Act Explained

Singapore is one of the few countries where the player, not just the operator, commits an offence by using an unlicensed online gambling service. Under the Gambling Control Act 2022, gambling with a remote service that the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has not licensed can bring a fine of up to S$10,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Every offshore crypto casino falls into that category, because Singapore Pools is the only operator licensed by the GRA to provide remote gambling.

What follows is a plain-language summary of the rules, the crypto side of things and the support services available. We do not list or recommend casinos for Singapore. For background on how these sites work in general, see our explainer on what a crypto casino is.

The Gambling Control Act 2022 in brief

Singapore rewrote its gambling laws in 2022. The Gambling Control Act (GCA) came into force on 1 August 2022, the same day the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore took over from the former Casino Regulatory Authority as a single regulator for all gambling. Section 139 of the GCA repealed four older statutes:

• the Betting Act;
• the Common Gaming Houses Act;
• the Remote Gambling Act 2014;
• the Private Lotteries Act 2011.

The two integrated-resort casinos, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, continue to operate under the Casino Control Act. Online, the picture is simple. Singapore Pools runs licensed remote betting on lotteries and sports, and nothing else is licensed. Crypto casinos, offshore sportsbooks and social apps with real-money prizes have no place in the licensed system.

How the law developed

Singapore did not suddenly start penalising players in 2022. The Remote Gambling Act 2014 already made it an offence to gamble with a remote operator that was not exempted, and it gave the authorities their first website and payment blocking powers. The GCA kept that approach, folded it into one statute and raised the maximum fine for players. It also brought newer products into scope, such as gambling-style mystery boxes and games where virtual items won by chance can be cashed out.

Gambling Control Act penalties

The penalties below are taken from the current text of the Act on Singapore Statutes Online (version in force from 21 September 2026).

For operators, the wording “shall also be punished with imprisonment” means jail is not optional once convicted. The first row is what sets Singapore apart from most of its neighbours. A player who deposits Bitcoin or USDT at an offshore casino from a flat in Tampines is not in a legal grey zone; the Act makes it an offence.

What is licensed, exempt or class-licensed

Not all gambling in Singapore is illegal. The GCA sorts activities into licensed, class-licensed and exempt categories, and everything outside them is unlawful.

How enforcement works

The GCA gives the authorities three main tools against unlawful online gambling: blocking access to websites and apps, blocking advertisements for them, and blocking payment transactions. According to the GRA, with effect from 1 January 2025 the Singapore Police Force (SPF) took over those blocking functions. Members of the public can report unlawful gambling websites or adverts through the SPF’s I-Witness service.

In daily life this shows up as sites that will not load, card payments that fail and promotional posts removed from platforms. Crypto deposits avoid the card block, but they do not avoid the offence itself.

Advertising and referral links

Promoting unlawful gambling is also caught by the Act. Influencer posts, Telegram channels and referral codes for offshore casinos are a common sight in the region, but in Singapore they can expose the person sharing them, not only the operator. If someone offers you a bonus code for a crypto casino, keep in mind that both of you may be on the wrong side of the GCA.

Fake “licensed in Singapore” claims are another pattern. Some offshore sites show a Singapore address or phone number to look local. A quick check against the GRA’s list of licensees settles it: if the operator is not there, it is not licensed here, whatever the footer says. A Curaçao seal, explained on our Curaçao licence page, does not count.

Plain warning. Using an online casino that is not licensed in Singapore is an offence under the Gambling Control Act 2022, and paying in crypto does not change that. You also give up every local protection: the GRA cannot help with frozen balances, refused withdrawals or misuse of your identity documents by an offshore site.

Is there tax on gambling winnings in Singapore?

For individuals, generally no. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) lists winnings from betting and lotteries among receipts that are not taxable. The exception is someone whose gambling amounts to a trade or business carried on for profit, which is rare and judged on the facts. None of this makes unlicensed online gambling lawful; tax and criminal law are separate questions.

Can foreigners go to casinos in Singapore?

Yes. Foreign visitors aged 21 and over can enter the casinos at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa with their passport and do not pay the entry levy. The casinos accept cash and their own approved payment methods; Singapore has said it has no plans to allow cryptocurrencies to be used for casino gambling. For a visitor, the lawful choices are the two casinos and Singapore Pools, not an offshore site on a hotel Wi-Fi connection.

Expats and people on work passes

The player offence applies to anyone gambling in Singapore, whatever their nationality or residence status. An expatriate who keeps an account with a casino licensed in their home country, or with an offshore crypto site, commits the same offence by logging in and betting from Singapore. A conviction can also matter beyond the fine: for someone on an employment pass or other work pass, a criminal record can affect renewals and future applications. If you are moving to Singapore, the simplest course is to stop using foreign gambling accounts while you live here, and to withdraw any balance before you arrive. The same applies to short business trips: a few days in Singapore are enough to fall under section 20 if you place bets while here.

Casino entry for citizens and permanent residents

Singapore’s land-based casinos show how carefully the state manages access. Citizens and permanent residents pay an entry levy of S$150 for 24 hours or S$3,000 for a year, and can be barred through exclusion orders. Foreign visitors do not pay the levy. No such safeguards exist at an offshore crypto site.

The levy was designed as a brake on casual local gambling when the resorts opened in 2010, and the exclusion system grew alongside it. Compare that with an offshore crypto casino: no levy, no visit limit, no check against an exclusion register, and an account that can be opened in minutes at any hour. The difference is the whole point of the licensing system, and it is why the law treats the two so differently.

Crypto rules in Singapore

Crypto is legal to buy and hold, and Singapore has one of the most detailed regimes in Asia. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the regulator.

Licensing

• Payment Services Act 2019: firms that deal in or exchange digital payment tokens (DPTs) for customers in Singapore need an MAS licence or a specific exemption.
• Financial Services and Markets Act 2022, Part 9: from 30 June 2025, Singapore-based firms that provide digital token services only to customers outside Singapore also need a licence. MAS signalled it would grant such licences only in very limited cases.
• Checking a provider: the MAS Financial Institutions Directory shows who is licensed, and the MAS Investor Alert List names unregulated entities that may be mistaken for licensed ones.

Consumer protection measures

MAS announced tighter rules for retail DPT services on 23 November 2023, and its guidelines started to apply in phases from 4 October 2024. Licensed providers may not offer retail customers incentives to trade, may not give them financing, margin or leverage, and may not accept payment by credit card or charge card issued in Singapore. They must also check that a retail customer understands the risks before granting access.

Which crypto platform is legal in Singapore?

Only one that MAS licenses or exempts. Before opening an account, search the company’s legal name in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory and check that it is not on the Investor Alert List. Foreign exchanges that market to Singapore residents without a licence are unregulated here, and some have been placed on the alert list. We do not rank exchanges; the licence check is the test that matters.

Worked example: what a crypto round trip costs

Imagine moving S$2,000 into USDT on a licensed exchange, sending it to an offshore site, then bringing back exactly the same number of USDT. The transfer is above S$1,500, so the travel rule applies and the exchange records who and where the funds went. You pay the exchange’s trading spread twice, a network fee on the way out and usually a withdrawal fee on the way back. With Bitcoin instead of USDT, price movement while the coins sit on the site can turn a break-even session into a loss in Singapore dollars. None of this needs a price quote to see: every conversion and transfer chips something off.

Tax on crypto

Singapore has no capital gains tax. IRAS treats gains from disposing of digital tokens held as a long-term investment as capital and not taxable, while gains from trading tokens as a business are taxable income. Its e-Tax guide on digital tokens sets out the factors IRAS weighs, such as frequency of transactions and holding period.

What these rules mean for a crypto user

• KYC everywhere. A licensed exchange will verify your identity, ask where your money comes from and monitor transfers out of your account.
• Travel rule. MAS requires licensed DPT providers to collect and pass on sender and recipient details for transfers of S$1,500 or more, and to check transfers to and from wallets they do not host. Large withdrawals to unknown addresses can trigger questions or delays.
• Frozen funds. Exchanges that see transfers going to gambling or scam addresses may restrict an account while they review it, and report suspicious activity to the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office.
• No cover offshore. Coins sent to an unlicensed casino leave the MAS-regulated world entirely.

Bitcoin, BTC, USDT: the coin makes no legal difference

People sometimes assume that a “bitcoin casino” is outside the GCA because no Singapore dollars change hands. The Act looks at the gambling, not the currency, so a stake paid in BTC or USDT counts the same as one paid by card. For background on how Bitcoin payments and stablecoins work in general, our Bitcoin casino hub and USDT guide explain the mechanics; they are written for readers in countries where offshore play is permitted. The same goes for our wallet guide.

Offshore sites usually display a licence from Curaçao, Anjouan or another small jurisdiction. Our licence explainer sets out what those regulators do. None of them can authorise gambling in Singapore.

Common questions people in Singapore ask us

“I only played a few times. Does it matter?”

The offence does not depend on how much or how often you played. Penalties are maximums, and the courts decide each case, but there is no small-stakes exemption in the Act.

“What if I am a tourist?”

The player offence applies to people in Singapore, residents or not. Visitors over 21 may enter the casinos without the levy, which is the lawful option while in the country.

“Can I play online with Singapore Pools?”

Yes, if you are 21 or older and open an account with Singapore Pools, which offers lottery draws and sports betting online under its GRA licence. It does not offer casino games such as slots, blackjack or roulette online, and no other online casino holds a Singapore licence.

“Will my bank notice?”

Payment blocking means many card transactions to known gambling merchants simply fail. Crypto purchases from licensed exchanges are visible to the exchange, and transfers to gambling addresses may be flagged. Neither route is private in the way people sometimes expect.

Singapore Pools versus an offshore crypto casino

Myths we see repeated

• “Offshore sites are outside Singapore’s reach.” The operator may be, but section 20 is aimed at the person gambling in Singapore, and that person is within reach.
• “Paying in crypto keeps it off the radar.” Licensed exchanges hold your identity, apply the travel rule and report suspicious transfers. Public blockchains keep a permanent record.
• “Provably fair games are safe.” Provably fair maths shows a single game result was not altered after your bet. It says nothing about whether the site will pay, keep your documents safe or stay online. Our licence guide explains what foreign regulators do and do not cover.
• “Only operators get prosecuted.” The player offence is an arrestable offence, and the Act also lets the court forfeit unlawful winnings on conviction.

If money is stuck on an offshore site

The GRA has no power over an unlicensed foreign operator, so the only routes are the casino’s own complaints process and, where one exists, its foreign regulator’s dispute scheme. Most offshore operators list Singapore among restricted countries in their terms, which lets them void winnings from Singapore players, and dispute bodies usually accept that. Never pay a “release fee” or “tax” to unlock a balance; that is the signature of a scam site. If you have been defrauded, report it to the police and to your bank or exchange straight away.

How Singapore compares with its neighbours

Singapore’s approach, one licensed online operator and an offence for players who use any other, sits between its neighbours. The Philippines licenses some online gaming for local players through PAGCOR (see our Philippines page). Malaysia licenses no online casino and prosecutes players under a 1953 law, covered on our Malaysia page. Indonesia bans all gambling, explained on our Indonesia page.

Support services in Singapore

• National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) helpline: 1800-6-668-668, free and confidential. NCPG also runs live chat and processes exclusion orders.
• Exclusion orders: self-exclusion, family exclusion orders (applied for by family members) and third-party exclusion orders, plus casino visit limits.
• National Addictions Management Service (NAMS): the All Addictions Helpline 6-RECOVER (6-7326837) for assessment and treatment.

Exclusion orders cover the two casinos, and NCPG can also extend self-exclusion to Singapore Pools accounts. A family member who sees debts building can apply for a family exclusion order, which NCPG’s committee reviews with both sides. For people who still visit the casinos, visit limits cap the number of entries per month.

Our responsible gambling page lists warning signs and practical limits that apply anywhere.

Singapore: frequently asked questions

Is online casino legal in Singapore?

No online casino is licensed in Singapore. Singapore Pools is the only operator licensed for remote gambling, and it offers lotteries and sports betting, not casino games. Gambling with any unlicensed online service is an offence under section 20 of the Gambling Control Act 2022.

Are Bitcoin casinos legal in Singapore?

No. Offshore Bitcoin and crypto casinos are not licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority, so playing at them is an offence regardless of the currency used. The maximum penalty is a fine of S$10,000, six months in jail, or both.

Can foreigners go to casinos in Singapore?

Yes. Visitors aged 21 and over can enter the casinos at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa with a passport and do not pay the entry levy, which applies only to citizens and permanent residents.

Which online casino is best in Singapore?

None can be recommended. No online casino is licensed in Singapore and players who use one commit an offence, so this site does not list or rank casinos for Singapore. The only licensed online gambling is Singapore Pools.

Which crypto platform is legal in Singapore?

Only providers licensed or exempted by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Check the company in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory and make sure it is not on the MAS Investor Alert List.

What is the penalty for running or advertising illegal gambling in Singapore?

Operators face a fine of up to S$500,000 and up to 7 years in jail, rising to S$700,000 and 10 years for repeat offenders. Advertising unlawful gambling carries a fine of up to S$20,000.

Do I pay tax on gambling winnings in Singapore?

Generally not. IRAS treats betting and lottery winnings of individuals as non-taxable, unless gambling is carried on as a trade or business.

What is the NCPG helpline number?

The National Council on Problem Gambling helpline is 1800-6-668-668. NAMS runs the All Addictions Helpline on 6-7326837 for treatment.