Foreign workers’ exclusions from gambling in S’pore have grown. What’s behind the numbers?

SINGAPORE – Behind the smiles of a trio of construction workers, posing for a photo at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino’s glitzy entrance, lie a sobering reality.

The Bangladeshi men visit the casino almost every week, spending $200 each time to “check their luck”, they told The Straits Times on a Sunday in July.

They earn between $1,500 and $3,000 a month. Requesting pseudonyms to protect their privacy, one of them, Shetaj, confessed that he had once lost $1,400 in a single day while gambling.

Their stories reflect the experience of some migrant workers who join the bustling weekend crowd at the gambling tables of MBS and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

At the same time, a quiet shift is under way. Foreign workers’ exclusions from certain gambling activities have increased in recent years, according to National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) statistics.

About 24,000 foreigners were excluded from Singapore Pools’ online betting, and about 28,000 from jackpot machine rooms in 2024, a five-fold increase from about 4,100 and 5,100 respectively in 2022.

Most of the foreigners’ exclusions – about 155,000 each year – are still for casinos, a number that has held steady over the same period.

About 90 per cent of excluded foreigners are on work permits, the typical pass type for migrant workers and migrant domestic workers.

These exclusions may be made by migrant workers, or employers with their consent. It effectively bars them from these gambling activities for at least a year.

The numbers do not necessarily indicate a rise in problem gambling among foreign workers, as the increase is mainly driven by employers who want to protect their workers.

Since 2022, employers have been allowed to exclude workers from a wider range of gambling activities, beyond casinos, said NCPG chairman Sim Gim Guan.

For casino exclusions, two-thirds were made by employers to protect workers from the harms of casino gambling, as foreigners can enter the facility without the mandatory $150 levy for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, said Sim.

Laavanya Kathiravelu, an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Social Sciences, said the increase was primarily due to more employers requiring their employees to make voluntary self-exclusions as a condition of employment.

“We could see this as a positive move for both employers and migrant workers if these decisions are made in transparent ways and when consent is not garnered through coercion,” said Kathiravelu.

Some employers told ST they make such applications as a preventive measure.

They have seen how gambling addiction can wreak havoc: loansharks turning up at their offices, workers’ wives desperately calling for help, and conflicts between workers when one borrows money from others to pay gambling debts.

At Wee Chwee Huat Scaffolding & Construction, workers are encouraged to self-exclude themselves from casinos before signing their contracts. It is not compulsory, but 95 per cent do so, said the company’s operations manager V. Manimaran.

He sees it as part of employers’ responsibility, as problem gambling can affect workers’ jobs and lives. The firm has about 150 employees from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh.

Vulnerable group

NCPG’s Sim said migrant workers are a vulnerable group susceptible to casino-related gambling harms.

As they do not pay the entry levy – meant to deter casual and impulse gambling – NCPG extends other social safeguards such as self-exclusion, and reaches out to educate them on gambling risks.

Migrant workers may well gamble for the same reasons as locals – such as for leisure or in the hope of making some quick cash, said Kathiravelu. But she added that those in situations of debt bondage may be driven to this option more often, referring to debts some workers owe recruitment agents that can run into thousands of dollars.

Silver Ribbon (Singapore) executive director Porsche Poh, who has counselled emotionally distressed migrant workers, said some see gambling as a quick fix for recruitment debts.
“They (say), ‘I want to go back to my country faster, build a house and give a good life to my family’,” said Poh.

For migrant domestic workers, the lure of quick money can also appear in their online world.

ST found multiple TikTok accounts featuring women holding up wads of cash they claimed to have won in Singapore Pools’ Toto draws, with captions mostly in Javanese.

The accounts each have thousands of followers. ST could not independently verify the identities of the account owners or the authenticity of the videos, and requests for comments went unanswered.

Some domestic workers told ST they have seen such social media content, but were unsure if the cash shown was lottery winnings or salaries.

A spokesperson for the Gambling Regulatory Authority, which regulates gambling advertisements, said that in itself, individuals’ social media posts about lottery gains are unlikely to constitute an offence under the law.

Losses may hit especially hard for this financially vulnerable group. Compared to Singaporeans, migrant workers have lower incomes and are not protected by mandatory wage floors or structured financial assistance schemes, added Kathiravelu.

They could lose a larger proportion of their salaries through gambling. When they run out of money, they may also turn to unlicensed loan sharks, she said.

Problems can snowball. Some employers have noticed workers with gambling issues becoming distracted at work, or who are so distressed that they contemplate ending their lives, prompting referrals to counselling.

Poh said: “It’s not just losing money. It’s more than that. When they don’t have enough money to send back (home), they get into further trouble.”

‘It’s just for fun’

But problem gambling affects only a minority of foreign workers, according to those who work with the community. At its highest, the 154,261 foreigners excluded from casinos in 2024 made up only 13 per cent of the 1.16 million work permit holders that year.

Excluding more foreign workers from gambling activities could also mean taking away more of their leisure options, when “they already have little time and space for leisure activities”, said Kathiravelu.

Across several days in July, ST spoke to over 20 migrant workers and domestic workers at the two casinos and Singapore Pools outlets around Singapore.

Most saw gambling as an enjoyable activity within their means. Like anyone else in the snaking queues, they dream of what a windfall could bring.

Ling Erl, a 39-year-old Indonesian domestic worker, earns $700 and is the sole supporter of three children after she divorced her husband, who had an affair. If she won $10 million, she would go to Greece to meet her new boyfriend for the first time, she said.

For some, it is not merely impulse-driven. Some set limits, such as spending no more than $100 at the casino, or placing a $1 bet on the twice-weekly Toto draws.

Indonesian domestic worker Tzumi Nah, 43, won $2,500 in 2023 off a $5 bet. She bought a gold bar with the winnings instead of splurging on purchases.

“If you carry your cash, you will use it to buy something you want and then you will blow everything,” said Tzumi.

Loida Carmen, 48, spends around $30 a month on 4-D. In 2020, she won $4,000 and sent all the money back to fund her nephew’s school needs, like a Wi-Fi router and a laptop.

“I will just buy $1 when I have extra money,” said the Filipina. “It’s just for fun actually. Like maybe it’s my luck. If I can win big, then maybe it’s time for me to go back home.”

General workers Chandrasekar, 32, Ajith, 26, and Manivarma, 22, pooled $50 for a game of craps on their first visit to MBS. After losing the sum, they promptly left the casino. The Indian nationals earn $1,200 per month and send $900 home, leaving about $300 for their own expenses. So they set themselves a limit for gambling.

Shetaj, the worker who lost $1,400 at MBS in June, will not consider self-exclusion for now. His buddies keep him in check, he said.

His friend Sheik gave him a dressing down after he lost the sum, reminding him he needed to save money for his aged parents and future business.

“If a man goes alone, it’s very hard to control himself,” said Sheik. “That’s why we go together.”