SINGAPORE - Singapore Pools has launched a new mobile app that allows punters to mark out 4-D and Toto bets on e-betting slips and track their expenses.

This will not only cut down the use of paper betting slips, but also promote responsible gaming through the app's expense tracker, said a Singapore Pools spokesman on Tuesday (Sept 18).

If one in 10 of those who used paper betting slips switched to this app, Singapore Pools projects that it could save an estimated 71 tonnes of paper a year - equivalent to more than 1,200 trees.

Punters can now download the eBetslip app, which is available on Android and iOS platforms.

A unique quick response (QR) code will be generated after an electronic betting slip is marked out. Punters can scan the code at Singapore Pools outlets for a physical betting ticket after paying at the counter.

Scanning services for the QR codes will be available at 25 Singapore Pools retail outlets from Tuesday and be rolled out at all outlets by the end of October.

The app will also prompt users to key in the amount spent in the expense tracker component of the app after they have made a purchase.

The new app is targeted at punters who prefer to buy physical betting tickets from Singapore Pools outlets. But it does not allow for instant online purchase of tickets, unlike the existing Singapore Pools mobile app, which was launched in 2016 and allows users to access Singapore Pool's online betting services and purchase gaming tickets.

To register for a Singapore Pools account, users must be at least 21 years old and undergo a series of checks, which includes a vigorous identity verification process and checks to ensure they are not on the casino exclusion list.

In comparison, the eBetslip app, which does not require an account, is a paperless mobile app to mark out online bet slips for 4-D and Toto bets.

The Straits Times understands that the verification process for the eBetslip app is less stringent as it does not allow direct purchasing of Singapore Pools products. However, there will be an advisory when users download the app to dissuade those under 18 from using it.

"Users must still proceed to a terrestrial Singapore Pools outlet to place (their bets through the QR code), pay and get paper bet tickets for their bets marked," added a Singapore Pools spokesman.

The launch of the paperless eBetslip app follows earlier moves by the lottery operator to go green.

In July, Singapore Pools revamped the ticket format for the Singapore Sweep, choosing to print tickets on demand instead of having them pre-printed.

Singapore Pools also hopes that punters will practise responsible gaming through the expenses manager function of the eBetslip app and messages located throughout the app reminding them to play responsibly.

Before being able to mark out the e-betting slips, users must set a weekly or monthly expenditure limit. They will be sent a notification when they have spent 75 per cent and 100 per cent of that amount.

When users hit their limit, they will receive an in-app notification asking them to confirm if they would still like to mark out the e-betslip.

Singapore Pools said it hopes the limit alert notification will help customers decide if they need to adjust their betting behaviour accordingly.