Singapore-locals visiting city’s casinos down 3pct in 2025, 3rd consecutive year of post-Covid decline: regulator
Singapore recorded in 2025 a 3.2-percent year-on-year decline in the number of its citizens and permanent residents visiting the city-state’s casinos. It also marked the third consecutive year of decline recorded in the number of locals visiting the two casinos in period since the Covid 19 pandemic…
Singapore recorded in 2025 a 3.2-percent year-on-year decline in the number of its citizens and permanent residents visiting the city-state’s casinos. It also marked the third consecutive year of decline recorded in the number of locals visiting the two casinos in period since the Covid 19 pandemic. That is according to the 2025-26 annual report of Singapore’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). Singapore has a casino duopoly consisting of Marina Bay Sands, run by a unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp, and Resorts World Sentosa, run by Genting Singapore Ltd. The number of Singapore citizens and permanent residents (SCPRs) who visited the city-state’s casinos stood at about 91,000 in 2025, representing 2.7 percent of the city-state’s adult population. That compares with 94,000 SCPRs who visited local casinos in 2024, which accounted at the time, for 2.8 percent of Singapore’s adult population,according to the GRA’s latest annual report. The document also noted that the number of annual casino entry-levy permit holders remained “stable” at about 6,700 in both 2024 and 2025. Referring to the local casino visitor statistics, the GRA’s chairman Hoong Wee Teck stated in the latest annual report: “These indicators, while only part of GRA’s broader efforts, reflect our sustained commitment to effective regulation, strong partnerships and the protection of the public interest.” Mr Hoong also noted in the report that casino-related crime “remained low” in Singapore in 2025. The Singapore authorities had from April 2019 – at the same time as extending the casino duopoly until 2030 – raised the casino entry levy fees applicable to locals. The move was described as as part of the city-state’s policy of “minimising the social impact of problem gambling”. Locals’ 24-hour access fees went from SGD100 (US$78.2) to SGD150, and the annual pass increased from SGD2,000 to SGD3,000. The number of local casino visitors dropped to 107,000 in 2019, from 127,000 in the previous year, according to past data from the GRA. The annual tally of locals further declined to 79,000 in 2020 – coinciding with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic – though it subsequently climbed to 96,000 in 2021 and to 104,000 in 2022. In the latest annual report, the GRA’s chief executive Daniel Tan, made reference to the 2025 renewal for three years – the permitted maximum period under the city’s Casino Control Act – of the casino licence for Marina Bay Sands. Singapore Pools, the only legal lottery and sports betting operator in the city-state, had seen its licensing refreshed at the same time. In November 2024, the GRA renewed the casino licence of Resorts World Sentosa for a period of two years. Mr Tan stated in the GRA’s latest annual report: “At the heart of GRA’s work is our commitment to ensuring that gambling activities in Singapore are regulated in a firm, effective manner. “During the year, GRA continued to uphold robust regulatory standards, culminating in the renewal of licences for gambling operators such as Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Pools.” The GRA chief executive also noted: “These licences were renewed following GRA’s rigorous assessment that the operators continued to meet high regulatory standards and requirements.”