Singapore Requires Casinos to Share Patron Information for ML/TF/PF Risk Controls
Singapore has brought into force a requirement for casino operators to share patron information with one another for the purpose of tackling money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.
The measure took effect on 21 September 2026 as part of the second tranche of amendments under the Casino Control (Amendment) Act 2024. The Ministry of Home Affairs said direct information sharing is intended to allow casino operators to act more quickly when a patron is assessed as posing a higher ML, TF or PF risk.
Direct information sharing between casino operators
Before the amendment, Singapore’s casino operators could not directly share a patron’s personal data with another operator without the patron’s consent because of personal-data restrictions. Where one operator identified a patron as presenting a high financial-crime risk, information could instead be exchanged through the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA).
When the amendments were introduced, the Government said that arrangement was operationally inefficient and could delay action. The amended Casino Control Act therefore allows the GRA to require casino operators to share patron information directly for ML, TF and PF purposes, with safeguards for patron information.
The commencement notice confirms that the information-sharing requirement is now in force and is intended to support swifter action where a higher-risk patron is identified.
Broader casino regulatory changes
The same tranche expands the criteria GRA may consider when assessing whether a casino operator remains suitable to hold a licence. These include whether the operator conducts business in an unethical manner or in a way that could bring discredit to casino gambling in Singapore, and whether there are systemic deficiencies or failures in internal controls or corporate governance. GRA may take disciplinary action where breaches of those criteria affect an operator’s suitability.
The amendments also empower GRA to regulate betting and lotteries in casinos in addition to games of chance, and to approve gaming software, including software deployed on mobile devices. Other changes address casino cheating offences, exclusion controls and family visit limits.
The new information-sharing provision builds on earlier changes to Singapore’s casino AML/CFT framework. Amendments that took effect in November 2024 required casino operators to consider proliferation-financing risks when conducting customer due diligence and lowered the CDD threshold for single cash transactions or deposits to S$4,000.
