Jail, fine for visit limit breaches at casinos under law change

From 2010 to 2023, about five people each year exceeded limits set by their families

- Christine Tan

Anyone visiting the casino more times than allowed by his family can be jailed for up to a year, or fined up to $10,000 under a proposed new offence.

Family visit limits are made by family members to limit the number of visits to a casino a person makes.

It is currently not illegal for someone to breach these limits, but this could change with the proposed amended law.

It was one of the new offences proposed in the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill, introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Parliament on Aug 6.

Casino-related crime remains low in Singapore, with a total of 137 cases reported at both casinos in 2023 and making up only 0.2 per cent of all crimes reported in the Republic that year.

The changes to the law are part of a regular review to ensure it keeps up with changes in the gambling industry, said MHA.

In response to media queries, a Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) spokesperson said there have been three to 14 applications a year for family visit limits over the last decade.

These limits can be applied for as long as the family is affected by the gambler's habits, such as if the gambler neglects his family responsibilities, said the MSF spokesperson.

MHA said that from 2010 to 2023, about five people each year breached their family visit limits.

Those under exclusion orders from casinos will also be subject to tighter laws.