Punters will no longer be able to place wagers at Singapore Pools' live betting venues, after the betting operator introduced measures from yesterday that would help ensure that the health and well-being of staff members and customers are protected from the coronavirus.

It said on Wednesday that it would shut all Livewire venues for live sports betting and off-course betting centres for horse racing indefinitely. This was due to the "Tighter Measures to Minimise Further Spread of Covid-19" advisory that was released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) the day before.

Since last Saturday, Singapore Pools has had social distancing measures in place. It had reduced operating hours, closed off selected centres, regulated access and placed physical separation measures at queues. Since Wednesday, all live lottery draws such as 4D, Toto and Singapore Sweep were held behind closed doors and the live draws at branches were suspended.

The Singapore Turf Club has also closed its Kranji race course to the public as of yesterday, and reduced the frequency of its local race day for April from up to two weekly to once a week.

There will be no screenings of overseas simulcast races, and customers can view the simulcast and local races on StarHub channels 288 and 289. The measures are expected to be in place until April 30.

While punters can no longer attend lottery draws or local races, Singapore Pools account holders can continue to place bets online and via telephone.