Singapore is well on its way to major changes in its sports betting field, as it has been recently announced that the very first days of 2019 will bring more power to Singapore Pools. Come 7th January the non-profit organization is set to obtain the management role when it comes to horse betting at Singapore Racecourse, overseeing the operation of betting locations, as well as the existing iTote app, which enjoys quite the attention at the moment.
The announcement came directly from the Tote Board Group, which includes the two subsidiaries Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club. In an attempt to facilitate further operation and provide players with a more meaningful engagement, the group is willing to introduce some changes at the very beginning of next year. They will not affect current customers of Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools.
Singapore Pools Oversees iTote betting App
Singapore Pools is set to oversee the future management of betting kiosks available at the racecourse located in Kranji, as well as the betting centers located off the race course. In its essence, this move will result in the non-profit organization becoming the only operator permitted to offer players lottery and sports wagering in a legal manner in the country.
The beloved iTote app will also be managed by Singapore Pools, which is not going to affect the current operation of the mobile app providing Singapore Pool customers with the chance to wager on sports events as well as the lottery in a legal manner. They will continue their parallel operation in the foreseeable future with their signature offerings. In the meantime, all horse racing events occurring on a day-to-day basis are set to remain overseen by the Singapore Turf Club as it has been up until this point.
This is projected to bring a premium quality of operation as each entity will be able to focus on what it is best at and subsequently make the entire process more cost-efficient. It should be pointed out that the projected changes are not going to lead to any workforce layoffs. The only significant change in this sense is going to be the planned transfer of a portion of the employees currently dedicted to the betting operation of Singapore Turf Club to Singapore Pools.
This Move Aligns with Previous Changes
With this move Singapore Pools follows its previously set goal to optimize its future operation and drive the field in a new phase of its development, focusing on a more intuitive operation. It could be recalled that earlier this year the organization introduced several cost-effective changes. Among them was one involving the Singapore Sweep tickets which from now on will be printed on demand, cutting the paper consumption to only what will actually be used by players
According to the Remote Gambling Act which has been providing the needed regulation of the field, players in Singapore are allowed to wager only at two websites – the one of Singapore Pools, as well as the Singapore Turf Club web page. Players have the chance to participate in betting activities such as Toto and 4D, as well as to wager on soccer events and F1. Anything different from this, especially gambling utilizing mobile phones, WhatsApp, the Internet is strictly prohibited and considered far from legal.
In addition to that, bookmakers are also considered illegal and prosecuted by the law, with legal penalties reaching up to S$200,000 and/or five years behind bars. This has been the leading objective of a statewide crackdown on illegal horse wagering which saw the arrest of some 31 individuals earlier this month. Police officers of the department teamed up with the divisions to the liking of Ang Mo, Bedok, Clementi, Jurong, Tanglin, and the Central one in order to bust illicit betting shops, seizing a combined S$15,000 in cash.
