At a time when the coronavirus pandemic is taking over the world with thousands of peoples’ lives lost every day, some operators have decided to take advantage of the situation and turn it into a machine for making money.
According to reports, a number of illegal gambling websites targeting gamblers from Singapore and other countries have emerged, offering people to place a bet on the daily number of Covid-19 cases. As The New Paper revealed, there are no less than five such websites and all of them have a pretty similar betting interface.
The aforementioned websites offer their customers the chance to place bets on the last digit of the number of daily new coronavirus cases that are officially announced in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Apart from that, punters can also place bets on whether the number is odd or even, as well as if the latest number in the above-mentioned countries is higher than the one announced on the previous day.
The websites display the daily odds and results along with other sports betting options and currently seem to be getting more popular than betting on football that is usually the main revenue generator of such sites. The new betting option has emerged after all legal betting outlets in Singapore were shut as part of the country’s efforts to tackle the spread of the coronavirus infection. The two legal casinos in the nation – Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools – have ceased their operations since the start of the circuit breaker period on April 7th.
Massive Industry Shutdown Makes Punters Turn to Online Gambling Options
According to psychiatrists, the fact that people are now betting on the number of coronavirus cases is not surprising at all, especially when it comes to individuals who find it hard to control their gambling habits and are ready to turn to any betting option to fuel their addiction, including an illegal one.
Specialists have reminded that the act of gambling has been proved to stimulate certain pleasure centers in the human brain, which results in creating a sense of reward and satisfaction to gamblers. Psychiatrists have also noted that the massive shutdown of the gambling industry on a global scale and the cancellation and postponement of all major sports events would be particularly hard for problem gamblers, who would be ready to take whatever option they have to bet on, as long as it is available.
Experts have explained that measures to prevent the coronavirus infection from spreading, such as closures of all retail gambling venues have encouraged many punters to turn to online gambling services. However, remote gambling is not legally permitted in Singapore, local enforcement authorities have shared that firm action will be taken against anyone who gets involved in illegal online gambling activities.
A local police spokesperson has reminded that online gambling breaches the provisions of the Remote Gambling Act, so the Singaporean police is set to take tough enforcement action against offenders. Under the aforementioned piece of legislation, individuals who get caught using unlawful online gambling services could face a monetary fine of up to SG$5,000 or could go to jail for up to 6 months, or both. On the other hand, those who are found to be offering remote gambling services from Singapore or an overseas location could face a fine of up to SG$200,000 or could go to jail for up to 5 years, or both.
