Singapore Pools to resume lotteries and retail sales

Singapore Pools will resume lotteries and retail operations in the country next week, after draws were suspended due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Retail operations will reopen on 22 June, but Singapore Pools encouraged customers to continue to use online products instead. Online betting returned last week after it had also been suspended.

“Customers' safety and well-being remains our top priority amidst the Covid-19 situation,” Singapore Pools said. “Singapore Pools encourages all customers, especially high-risk groups, to utilise our online account betting channel as their primary mode of transaction.”

The 4D lottery will resume on 24 June, with the TOTO lottery following on 25 June. Singapore Sweep will not resume until 5 August. The draws will take place behind closed doors.

As the previous draws had been postponed on 6 April, tickets for draws that were initially scheduled for an earlier date will remain valid.

News of the suspension comes after the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced plans to review its gambling regulations, and create a new single regulatory authority for the industry.

While oversight for gambling has been divided between a number of different government departments, it will be consolidated under the Gambling Regulatory Authority from 2021. In addition, plans were underway to update gambling regulations to reflect changes in technology and consumer habits.

Casinos in Singapore had originally been planned to open on 9 June, but this had been pushed back indefinitely, which contributed to H2 Gambling Capital downgrading its 2020 global gaming revenue forecast again by $5bn in the biggest absolute fall in FY expectations for five weeks.