Resorts World Sentosa was subject to two of the three breach notices issued by Singapore’s new gaming regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), over the past year, with both relating to failure to perform customer due diligence measures.
According to details contained in the GRA’s 2022/23 annual report, published Tuesday, RWS was issued with a SG$20,000 (US$14,600) fine for “Failure to perform customer due diligence measures” in breach of Casino Control Regulations 2009, and another SG$75,000 (US$54,800) for “Failure to perform enhanced customer due diligence measures”.
The third breach was issued to Ceylon Sports Club, whose license was suspended for a month for “Failure to comply with regulatory requirements relating to the screening and registration of persons, and prevention of entry of excluded persons”.
These represent the first enforcement actions of the GRA, which replaced the former Casino Regulatory Authority and other agencies as Singapore’s main gaming regulator in August 2022.
In a written foreword, GRA Chairman Tan Tee How also revealed that the number of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who had visited Singapore’s casinos in 2022 was 3.2%, remaining relatively steady compared to 3.0% in 2021, 2.5% in 2020 and 3.4% in 2019.
This, he noted, was on the back of a 50% increase in casino entry levies implemented in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.