Singapore’s casinos have raised around SG$1.3 billion (US$953 million) from the mandatory entry levy imposed on local residents since it was first introduced in 2010.
The figure was revealed by Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo in parliament on Monday during a debate over the government’s decision last month to increase the entry levy on locals by 50% from SG$100 to SG$150 per day and from SG$2,000 to SG$3,000 per year, according to local media reports.
Questioned over the effectiveness of the entry levy in its stated purpose of deterring problem gambling at Singapore’s two integrated resorts – Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) – Teo said the number of locals entering casinos had fallen by 50% since 2010 with the majority of funds raised coming from “affluent individuals.”
“The data is quite clear – annual entry-levy holders tend to have higher incomes,” she said.
“For these affluent individuals who want to visit the casinos more often, such as premium players, the annual entry levy provides convenience.”
Rejecting suggestions that the entry fee could in fact encourage compulsive gambling, Teo added, “The daily and annual entry levies serve to deter casual and impulse gambling by locals and are part of a holistic suite of social safeguards.”
Teo also praised the impact of Singapore’s law enforcement efforts, which have seen the number of casino crimes committed annually fall 58% from 299 in 2010 to 126 last year. Of those, she said, less than 20 had been traced back to organized crime gangs with the majority of incidents “opportunistic and petty in nature.”
The Singapore Tourism Board last month reached an agreement with the city’s two IR operators, Las Vegas Sands and Genting Singapore, that will see each invest around SG$4.5 billion (US$3.3 billion) in major expansions of their respective resorts.
