Earlier today, the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore announced that residents of the country will not be able to access websites that provide or promote any type of remote gambling services as of February 2.
The Ministry also pointed out in its special statement on the matter that all payment transactions that are in any way related to illegal remote gambling activities will be blocked as well.
On October 7, 2014, a law was passed by the Parliament of Singapore, after officials complained about the lack of proper regulation concerning remote operations. The so-called Remote Gambling Act is to come into effect on February 2.
The Ministry’s statement said that the main purpose of these stricter remote gaming regulations is proper order to be maintained and any risks that such activities pose to young people and people that are prone to gambling addictions to be minimized.
According to the new Act, everyone, who engages in remote gambling activities, urges others to do so, or provides such services, is actually violating the law.
People, who are involved in the gambling industry, have expressed their concerns that the new regulations might also cover the social games that are offered to the residents of Singapore. Due to this, a separate statement was released by the local Media Development Authority, in which the regulatory body pointed out that the Act will not affect social games that do not feature money payments.
In other words, popular games, such as Candy Crush Saga or Farmville, will not be covered by the new law and players will be able to keep on playing them.
Furthermore, the Act will not ban mechanisms that aim at rewarding players for their performance. That is, gaming developers will be able to provide their customers with products that feature leaderboards and actual prizes, provided that these do not encourage criminal activities.
However, residents of Singapore will not be able to play online casino-themed games that give them the opportunity of winning money or merchandise.
Media Development Authority also shared that all the provisions in the Act have been discussed with gaming experts and other members of the gaming industry. The regulatory body ensured that the new regulation will not hamper the development of gaming businesses that are considered legal. It will also keep on working with the local industry, so as to be able to contribute to its future expansion and development.
