PART 4 52.—(1) The Authority may grant different types of licences under this Part.(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the types of licences may be as follows:| (a) | specified kinds of gambling; | | (b) | specified kinds of betting operations, conduct of gaming or conduct of lotteries; | | (c) | gambling, or betting operations, conduct of gaming or conduct of lotteries, undertaken in or in connection with specified types of gambling venues; | | (d) | facilities of a specified nature, or adapted or presented in a specified way, and used for purposes of gambling; | | (e) | specified types of gaming machines; | | (f) | specified types of gambling articles (other than gaming machines) or prizes. |
|
|
| Application for or to renew licence |
53.—(1) An application for or to renew a licence must be made to the Authority in accordance with this section.(2) An application for or to renew a licence must —| (a) | be in the form and manner the Authority specifies; | | (b) | be accompanied by an application fee, if prescribed; | | (c) | contain —| (i) | an address in Singapore at which notices and other documents under this Act for the applicant may be served; or | | (ii) | the name and address of one or more persons in Singapore authorised by the applicant to accept on the applicant’s behalf service of notices and other documents under this Act; and |
| | (d) | be accompanied by the prescribed information and any other additional information that the Authority requires to decide on the application. |
|
| (3) In addition, an application to renew a licence must be made no later than a prescribed period before the date of expiry of the licence, unless otherwise allowed by the Authority in any particular case which must then be treated as a late renewal application. |
(4) The Authority may refuse to consider an application for or to renew a licence —| (a) | that is incomplete or not made in accordance with this section; or | | (b) | where an investigation or inquiry mentioned in subsection (5) in relation to the application is refused by the applicant. |
|
(5) Upon receiving an application for or to renew a licence, the Authority may carry out, or arrange to be carried out by any authorised officer, such investigations and inquiries in relation to the application as the Authority considers necessary for a proper consideration of the application, which may include an inspection of either or both the following:| (a) | the place or premises on or at which the applicant intends to provide the gambling service to be authorised by the licence; | | (b) | any vehicle, equipment or other thing which the applicant intends to use to provide the gambling service in the application. |
|
|
54.—(1) Subject to this section, after considering any application under section 53 for or to renew a licence, the Authority may —| (a) | on payment of —| (i) | the applicable licence fee (if prescribed), grant the applicant a licence authorising the applicant to provide the gambling service authorised by the licence; or | | (ii) | a renewal fee (if prescribed) or, in the case of a late renewal application a late renewal fee (if prescribed), renew the licence; or |
| | (b) | refuse to grant or renew the licence, as the case may be. |
(2) In deciding whether an applicant should be granted a licence, or the applicant’s licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the Authority must have regard, and give such weight as the Authority considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:| (a) | whether the applicant is or is not —| (i) | carrying on or intending to provide any other gambling service; or | | (ii) | a holder of another licence or already a class licensee; |
| | (b) | the demand for the gambling service in the application; | | (c) | whether the applicant does or does not have (or is likely or unlikely to have) the financial capacity and ability to provide the gambling service in the application in accordance with the provisions of this Act and according to the applicable standards; | | (d) | whether the applicant, and every responsible executive and category 1 key officer of the applicant, is a suitable person to be involved in providing the gambling service in the application; | | (e) | whether the licensee has gambling service agents; | | (f) | whether it is otherwise contrary to the public interest or national security of Singapore for the licence to be granted to the applicant. |
|
(3) To avoid doubt —| (a) | the Authority is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsection (2) and may take into account such other matters and evidence as may be relevant; and | | (b) | this Act applies to an application for the renewal of a licence as if it were an application for a new licence. |
|
| (4) Without affecting subsection (1), the Authority may grant a renewal of a licence with or without modifying the conditions of the licence, but section 58(2), (3) and (4) does not apply to or in relation to granting a renewal of a licence with modifications to the conditions of the licence. |
| (5) A licence must not be granted to any person who is not an entity. |
|
55.—(1) For the purpose of determining under this Act whether or not an applicant or a licensee and where necessary, whether a responsible executive or key officer of the applicant or licensee, is a suitable person to be involved in providing a gambling service, the Authority must have regard, and give such weight as the Authority considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:| (a) | any available information whether or not the applicant, licensee, responsible executive or key officer has been convicted of any of the following offences:| (i) | an offence under the provisions of this Act; | | (ii) | an offence under the Casino Control Act 2006; | | (iii) | an offence under the repealed Betting Act 1960; | | (iv) | an offence under the repealed Common Gaming Houses Act 1961; | | (v) | an offence under the repealed Private Lotteries Act 2011; | | (vi) | an offence under the repealed Remote Gambling Act 2014; | | (vii) | an offence under the Gambling Duties Act 2022; | | (viii) | an offence under Part 6 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992; [Act 15 of 2023 wef 08/02/2024] | | (ix) | an offence under section 19 of the Moneylenders Act 2008; | | (x) | an offence under the Organised Crime Act 2015; | | (xi) | an offence under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act 2002; | | (xii) | an offence under the United Nations Act 2001; | | (xiii) | an offence involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, whether in Singapore or elsewhere; |
| | (b) | any available information with respect to the participation of the individual (who is an applicant, a licensee, responsible executive or key officer) in any criminal activity, including whether or not he or she was a responsible executive or key officer of a person convicted of any offence mentioned in paragraph (a); | | (c) | any evidence of the exercise of —| (i) | any regulatory action in relation to the applicant, licensee, or responsible executive or key officer as a licensee or class licensee; | | (ii) | any disciplinary action under the Casino Control Act 2006 in relation to the applicant, licensee, responsible executive or key officer; or | | (iii) | any regulatory action in relation to any licensee or class licensee that the applicant, licensee, responsible executive or key officer was a responsible executive or key officer thereof; |
| | (d) | any available information with respect to whether —| (i) | the applicant or licensee has been placed in receivership, gone into liquidation; or | | (ii) | the responsible executive or key officer has been adjudged bankrupt; |
| | (e) | the profile of past compliance by the applicant, licensee, responsible executive or key officer (as the case may be) with the provisions of this Act and the requirements by or under any written law mentioned in paragraph (a), and with the applicable standards. |
| (2) Despite any other law, the Commissioner of Police or a law enforcement agency may, on the request of the Authority, provide a report in respect of any one or more of the matters in subsection (1) for the purposes of a suitability assessment under this Act. |
| (3) If the Authority does not consider an individual suitable under this section, the Authority must, by written notice given to any licensee that the individual is or is to be a key officer thereof, notify the licensee concerned of the adverse assessment of suitability within 28 days after the decision is made. |
| (4) If the Authority does not consider an individual suitable under this section because of information that is classified by the Authority as security sensitive information, the Authority is not required to provide any reasons for the Authority’s adverse assessment of suitability decision other than that the decision was made on public interest grounds under this section. |
| (5) To avoid doubt, for the purpose of determining whether or not a person or an individual is a suitable person to be involved in providing a gambling service, the Authority is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsection (1) and may take into account such other matters and evidence as may be relevant. |
|
56.—(1) Every licence granted under this Part is in force for the period specified in the licence —| (a) | except when it is suspended under Part 7; or | | (b) | unless it is earlier revoked under Part 7. |
| (2) Every licence must be in the form the Authority determines. |
|
57.—(1) In granting a licence to any person, the Authority may impose such conditions as the Authority considers requisite or expedient having regard to the purposes of this Act.(2) In particular, in granting a licence authorising the provision of a gambling service, the Authority may impose conditions that are necessary, expedient or conducive to the attainment or furtherance of the licensing objectives, such as —| (a) | conditions fixing the kind of gambling or betting, the games of chance or lotteries involved in providing the gambling service; | | (b) | conditions fixing the maximum or minimum number, amount or quantity, or both, of any of the following during the validity period of the licence or any part of that period:| (i) | the bets or wagers; | | (ii) | the gaming machines involved in providing the gambling service; | | (iii) | the amount and number or type of the prizes to be offered in providing the gambling service; | | (iv) | the number of tickets or chances to be offered and the prices and denominations of those tickets or chances; |
| | (c) | conditions fixing the hours of gambling, or the maximum number of gamblers to whom facilities to gamble may be made available at any time during the provision of the gambling service; | | (d) | conditions requiring advertisements about the gambling service authorised by the licence —| (i) | to be published only to certain classes of persons; | | (ii) | to contain certain content which may, in particular, require specified words to be included in the advertisement; | | (iii) | to not contain certain content; | | (iv) | not to be published in certain types of publications or media; and | | (v) | to be approved by the Authority before they are published in Singapore; |
| | (e) | conditions restricting or prohibiting, or requiring the prior approval of the Authority for —| (i) | the sending of inducements to gamble through the gambling service authorised by the licence; and | | (ii) | the practice that the licensee adopts in connection with offering or providing the gambling service authorised by the licence; |
| | (f) | conditions requiring the facilities and equipment provided for persons conducting monitoring and surveillance of operations of the gambling service to conform to the applicable standards; | | (g) | conditions requiring the licensee to establish and maintain appropriate internal policies, procedures and controls to encourage responsible gambling among customers of the gambling service and to minimise the possibility of problem gambling connected with the gambling service; | | (h) | conditions concerning the management of the gambling service provided, including the records that must be maintained and reporting requirements; | | (i) | conditions concerning the management, application, and distribution of funds derived from gambling through the gambling service; | | (j) | conditions restricting or prohibiting a manner of disposal of approved gaming machines or approved peripheral equipment for a gaming machine used by the licensee in providing the gambling service; | | (k) | conditions requiring the licensee to be responsible for every employee of the licensee and every gambling service agent of the licensee in providing any gambling service authorised by the licence; and | | (l) | conditions requiring the licensee to undergo (at its own cost) such audit as the Authority may require to ascertain the licensee’s compliance with —| (i) | the provisions of this Act or a standard applicable to the licensee; or | | (ii) | the conditions of the licence granted to that licensee. |
|
|
| (3) An audit referred to in subsection (2)(l) must be carried out by authorised officers or other officers of the Authority or such qualified individuals approved by the Authority for that purpose. |
|
| Modifying conditions of licence |
58.—(1) Subject to this section, it is lawful for the Authority to modify the conditions of a licence without compensating the licensee concerned.(2) Before modifying any condition of a licence, the Authority must, unless the Authority considers that it is impracticable or undesirable to do so, give notice to the licensee holding that licence —| (a) | stating that the Authority proposes to make the modification in the manner as specified in the notice; and | | (b) | specifying the time (being not less than 7 days from the date of service of notice on the licensee) within which the licensee may make written representations to the Authority with respect to the proposed modification. |
|
(3) Upon receiving any written representation mentioned in subsection (2), the Authority must consider that representation and may —| (a) | reject the representation; | | (b) | amend the proposed modification of any condition of a licence in such manner as the Authority thinks fit having regard to the representation; or | | (c) | withdraw the proposed modification. |
|
(4) Where —| (a) | the Authority rejects any written representation under subsection (3)(a); | | (b) | the Authority amends any proposed modification to any condition of a licence under subsection (3)(b); or | | (c) | no written representation is received by the Authority within the time specified in subsection (2)(b), or any written representation made under that subsection is subsequently withdrawn, |
| the Authority must issue a written direction to the licensee in question requiring the licensee, within the time specified by the Authority, to give effect to the modification as specified in the notice under subsection (2) or as amended by the Authority, as the case may be. |
|
|
| Restriction on transfer and surrender of licence |
59.—(1) A licence, and any rights, benefits or privileges under the licence, are not transferable or assignable to any other person unless —| (a) | the licence contains a condition authorising the transfer or assignment; and | | (b) | the Authority consents in writing to the transfer or assignment. |
| (2) Any consent under subsection (1) may be given subject to compliance with such conditions as the Authority thinks fit to impose, which may include conditions modifying, or requiring or otherwise providing for the making of modifications to, the conditions of the licence; but section 58(2), (3) and (4) does not apply to or in relation to these modifications to the conditions of the licence. |
(3) A transfer or an assignment, or purported transfer or assignment, of a licence, or of any rights, benefits or privileges under the licence, is void and of no effect —| (a) | if the licence is not capable of transfer or assignment; | | (b) | if the transfer or assignment, or purported transfer or assignment, is in breach of a condition of the licence; or | | (c) | if there has, before the transfer or assignment or purported transfer or assignment, been a contravention of a condition subject to compliance with which the consent required by subsection (1) is given. |
|
| (4) Every licence is not capable of being surrendered without the written consent of the Authority, and any surrender or purported surrender of a licence is void if it is without such consent. |
|
Division 2 — Class licences for
lower‑risk gambling services |
60.—(1) The Minister may, by order in the Gazette, determine a class licence that authorises a person to which the order applies to provide a gambling service, or a class or description of gambling service, without a licence —| (a) | for a specified period or indefinitely, or to an extent specified in that order; and | | (b) | subject to such conditions necessary, expedient or conducive to the attainment or furtherance of the licensing objectives and as may be specified in that order. |
(2) To avoid doubt, there may be more than one class licence determined, and according (but not limited) to any of the following:| (a) | specified kinds of gambling; | | (b) | specified kinds of betting operations, conduct of gaming or conduct of lotteries; | | (c) | gambling, or betting operations, conduct of gaming or conduct of lotteries, undertaken in or in connection with specified types of gambling venues; | | (d) | facilities of a specified nature, or adapted or presented in a specified way, and used for purposes of gambling; | | (e) | specified types of gaming machines; | | (f) | specified types of gambling articles (other than gaming machines) or prizes; | | (g) | specified types of customers who may engage in gambling using the gambling service authorised by the class licence. |
|
| (3) An order under subsection (1) continues in force, unless it is revoked, for such period as may be specified in the order. |
|
| Variation and revocation of class licence |
61.—(1) Subject to this section, the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, vary a class licence by —| (a) | varying or revoking any condition specified in the class licence; or | | (b) | specifying additional conditions of the class licence. |
(2) Before varying a class licence or revoking an order under section 60 for a class licence, the Authority designated by the Minister must, unless it considers it impractical or undesirable in the circumstances of the case, cause to be published, in accordance with subsection (3), a written notice that —| (a) | states that the Minister proposes to vary the class licence, or to end the class licence; | | (b) | describes the proposed variation or ending; and | | (c) | invites interested persons to make representations about the proposed variation or ending by a specified date that is at least 14 days after the date of publication of the notice. |
|
| (3) A notice under subsection (2) must be published on the prescribed website or in one or more other forms that are readily accessible by the public. |
| (4) The Minister must, before varying a class licence determined under an order under section 60 or revoking such an order, give due consideration to any representations made to the Authority pursuant to the notice given in accordance with subsection (2). |
|
| Conditions applicable to class licensee |
62.—(1) Without limiting section 60(1) or 61, the conditions subject to which a class licensee may authorise the provision of a gambling service may include any of the following:| (a) | conditions fixing the maximum or minimum number, amount or quantity, or both, of any of the following connected with the gambling service authorised by the class licence:| (i) | the bets or wagers or the tickets or chances to be offered; | | (ii) | the gaming machines involved in providing the gambling service; | | (iii) | the amount and number or type of the prizes to be offered in providing the gambling service; |
| | (b) | conditions fixing the hours of gambling, or the maximum number of gamblers to whom facilities to gamble may be made available at any time during the provision of the gambling service; | | (c) | conditions restricting or prohibiting any property (whether real or personal) or services being offered or used as a prize for gambling carried on in connection with the gambling service, which may include —| (i) | specifying a quantity or dollar value of any money or money equivalent that may not be offered or used as a prize for any such gambling; and | | (ii) | specifying circumstances in which —| (A) | any money or money equivalent or any thing else of value may not be offered or used as a prize for gambling; or | | (B) | a quantity or dollar value of any money or money equivalent or any thing else of value may not be offered or used as a prize for gambling; |
|
| | (d) | conditions requiring advertisements about the gambling service authorised by the class licence —| (i) | to be published only to certain classes of persons; | | (ii) | to contain certain content which may, in particular, require specified words to be included in the advertisement; | | (iii) | to not contain certain content; | | (iv) | not to be published in certain types of publications or media; and | | (v) | to be approved by the Authority before they are published in Singapore; |
| | (e) | conditions restricting or prohibiting, or requiring prior approval of the Authority for —| (i) | the sending of inducements to gamble through the gambling service authorised by the class licence; and | | (ii) | the practice that the licensee adopts in connection with offering or providing the gambling service authorised by the class licence; |
| | (f) | conditions fixing the frequency of the gambling service provided under the class licence; | | (g) | conditions concerning the management of the gambling service provided, including the records that must be maintained and reporting requirements; | | (h) | conditions requiring to be done or not to be done such things as are specified or are of a description specified, except insofar as the Authority specified in that class licence consents to the class licensee doing or not doing them; | | (i) | conditions requiring the class licensee to refer for determination by the Authority specified in that class licence such questions arising under the class licence or are of a description specified. |
(2) In particular, a class licence may provide that the class licence applies to a person subject to a condition precedent that requires that person —| (a) | to notify the Authority about the person’s identity and other particulars about the gambling service provided by the person; and | | (b) | to pay a charge to the Authority for receiving the notification. |
|
|
|
