TLDR
- Foreign worker exclusions from Singapore Pools online betting jumped to about 24,000 in 2024, up from around 4,100 in 2022.
- Jackpot machine room exclusions rose to about 28,000 in 2024, compared with roughly 5,100 in 2022.
- Casino exclusions stayed steady at about 155,000 foreigners per year, making up 13% of foreign work permit holders.
- Employers filed two thirds of casino exclusion requests, often before gambling problems start.
- Financial strain from recruitment loans can push some migrant workers toward gambling as a way to earn fast money.
Foreign workers in Singapore are being excluded from more types of gambling activity. The National Council on Problem Gambling says the rise does not mean problem gambling itself is growing.
New figures show about 24,000 foreigners were barred from Singapore Pools’ online betting in 2024. Another 28,000 were excluded from jackpot machine rooms.
Both numbers are close to five times higher than in 2022. Casino exclusions did not follow the same pattern.
Casino exclusions have stayed steady at around 155,000 foreigners each year. Work permit holders make up about 90% of that group.
Employers Are Driving The Increase
Exclusions can be requested by a worker or applied by an employer with the worker’s consent. Once approved, the exclusion usually lasts at least one year.
NCPG chairman Sim Gim Guan said employers have been allowed to request a wider range of gambling exclusions since 2022. Employers filed about two thirds of casino exclusion applications.
Foreign workers do not have to pay the $150 casino levy that applies to citizens and permanent residents. The NCPG also offers self-exclusion options and gambling education programs.
Professor Laavanya Kathiravelu of Nanyang Technological University said the rise is linked to more companies making voluntary exclusion a condition of employment. She said the process can benefit both sides when it stays open and is not forced on workers.
Some employers said they apply for exclusions before problems start. They described situations such as loan sharks showing up at offices and workers’ spouses calling for help.
At Wee Chwee Huat Scaffolding and Construction, new hires are encouraged to self-exclude from casinos before they sign a contract. The company said about 95% of its roughly 150 workers choose to do so.
Operations manager V. Manimaran said the firm hires workers from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh. He said employers have a duty to step in because gambling problems can affect a person’s job and home life.
Debt And Financial Pressure Play A Role
Kathiravelu said migrant workers often gamble for the same reasons as local residents, such as leisure or the hope of making quick money. She said the pressure of recruitment loans can make gambling look like a faster way to pay off debt.
Porsche Poh, executive director of Silver Ribbon Singapore, said many workers under stress see gambling as a quick path to repay loans or build a home for their families.
Migrant workers often earn less than Singaporean workers and have less access to minimum wage rules or financial support. Kathiravelu said this means gambling losses can take up a bigger share of their income.
Workers who run out of money sometimes turn to unlicensed lenders instead of legal ones. Employers said this can lead to distress and distraction at work.
Groups working with migrant workers said problem gambling still affects only a small share of the community. The 154,261 foreigners excluded from casinos in 2024 made up 13% of the 1.16 million foreign work permit holders that year.
Kathiravelu said wider bans could reduce recreation options for workers who already have little free time. Some workers told The Straits Times they treat gambling as entertainment and set spending limits, while others said they only place small bets with friends.
