Sports Betting in Singapore

Via https://racingthinktank.com/reports/tif-reports-horse-racing-and-legal-sports-betting

Sports betting in Singapore is very popular and what is quite important, it is completely legal, which is the case in most Asian countries. Singaporeans love sports, and even more, they love gambling, so it was reasonable to mix these two and make it fun for everyone.

There are a couple of domestic operators where
Singaporeans can lay the odds online. However, it is a common thing for the
bettors in Singapore to place wagers by using foreign online bookies.

Sports Betting and Gambling Laws in
Singapore

There are a few gambling laws and acts that regulate sports betting in Singapore including the Common Gaming Act and the Betting Act. Since 2014, when the Remote Gambling Act was brought in, Singaporeans can lay the odds online with two domestic operators – Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club.

Howsoever, betting online with foreign operators
is still in the grey zone. Hereof, many Singaporeans use the foreign bookmakers
to wager online whereas they are allowed to pay the deposit and get payouts.

Popular Sports to Bet on in Singapore

Singaporeans are crazy about football which is
quite understandable when you know their passion for wagering. Simple as that,
football is the most popular sports in the world, so you have plenty of matches
to bet on every single day even when it’s a slow betting period with the other
popular sports.

In the summer, when it is an offseason in all major football league across Europe and in the major Sports in the USA, Singaporeans bet on the football leagues across Asia including the Japanese J-League and the Chinese Super League. Likewise, they wager on the MLS, K League 1, and all international competitions.

Besides football, tennis is the most popular
sports to wager on in Singapore. The main reason is frequency once again. From
the first day of the new year until the mid-November, you can lay the odds on
tennis matches day after day.

Behind football and tennis on the popularity list
comes motor racing whereas Singaporeans obviously have a need for speed. That
is why their domestic operators provide markets for every major motor racing
event in the world.

Back in the day, horse racing was a big thing
among the sports bettors in Singapore, but nowadays, it’s not so popular as it
was. Along with foreign online bookmakers, Singaporeans learn more about
betting on sports like basketball, baseball, cricket, and snooker.

Betting on sports is the easiest way for every
bettor in Singapore to get in on the action. Therefore, it’s no strange that
sports betting in Singapore attracted foreign operators.

Why Singaporeans Prefer Foreign Bookies
Over Domestic Operators

As we have already mentioned above, there are two
domestic operators for betting on sports online, and both are pretty restricted
when it comes to the number of sports and markets that are available on their
platforms.

For example, Singapore Pools provides betting
odds only for football, motor racing, and horse racing. Also, if you like
betting on sports and you are a football fan, you won’t be pleased with the
markets at all.

You can take the side bet (home, away, draw),
total goals, halftime score, halftime-fulltime score, Asian handicap, and 1st
goal scorer. And, that’s all folks. So, if you know what’s on the market among
foreign sportsbooks, this domestic offer will look ridiculous.

Likewise, we have mentioned how easy is to pay
deposits and get payouts. Singaporeans can use internet banking and transfer
their money from a bank account to the account on the betting site once they
set it up.

Other important factors are bonuses and promotions
available with foreign sportsbooks. For those operators, it is a common thing
to give new players sign-up bonus, while some even refund wagers on football if
the clash ends in a nil-nil draw.

Furthermore, the foreign operators offer better
odds than domestic ones which is a very important thing if you bet with high
stakes or prefer to take accumulators. Betting on sports includes live betting
that is very popular, and domestic operators have a thin offer with
unattractive odds.

Considering all these facts, you can see why
Singaporeans prefer online foreign bookmakers when they are betting on sports.
Interestingly, betting through your local bookie was another popular thing in
Singapore even though it was always illegal. It is not so common nowadays with domestic
operators on the market.

Betting Odds in Singapore & Online
Betting

Singaporeans use the European odd format, so
their domestic operators Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club both provide
the odds with this decimal system. Hereof, the foreign online operators that
are mostly British bookmakers had to adapt their websites.

Ladbrokes and Betfair are the two most popular
online sportsbooks when it comes to sports betting in Singapore. They provide a
ton of different markets on football, but also on all other sports that are not
available with Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club.

Singaporeans who love betting on football
certainly enjoy the offer whereas they are not limited on seven or eight
different markets and can choose from plenty of picks.

The similar thing is with tennis as the second
most-popular sports to wager on. The bettors can take usual markets as the
winner, total games sets handicap, or games handicap, but they can also wager
on a tiebreak in the match, set 1 and set 2 winner, total games per set (over
and under) and much more if the match is on the ATP Tour.

Singaporeans domestic operators also have their websites and offer betting on sports online. It is the same general as with the foreign online bookmakers, so the bettors from Singapore need to make the account on the website and lay the deposit from their bank account.

In the same way, the bettors can cash out using
their bank account or take another payout method offered by Singapore Pools and
Singapore Turf Club.

Singapore is a country where people love to watch
and bet on sports. Also, it is a highly developed economy which is another
important thing when it comes to sports betting and the amount of money that
goes on online wagering. That is why Singapore is a great place for betting on
sports.