On casinos, corrections, and compensation.

Many would know that there are casinos in Singapore, notwithstanding its squeaky-clean image.

But not everyone knows that Singaporeans and Permanent Residents have to pay a levy to enter a casino.

When the casinos first opened, the levy was set at S$100 per day, or S$3,000 per year.

From 2019, the levy was increased to S$150 per day, or S$3,000 per year...

...until somebody made a mistake.

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As it turns out, the legislation increasing the levy was for a period of 5 years, and lapsed automatically from 4 April this year.

So for the period from 4 April 2024 to 7 May 2024, punters continued to pay the increased levy...

...even though, as a matter of law, they were required to pay less.

And what this meant was that about S$4.4 million extra was collected.¹

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I have so many questions:

1️⃣ Are punters going to get a refund?

The Casino Control (Entry Levy) Regulations 2010 provide that the casino operator shall refund an overpaid levy if a refund is directed by the Chief Executive of the Gambling Regulatory Authority.² And the Casino Control Act 2006 provides that it is lawful for the Chief Executive to direct a refund.³ So as a matter of law, a refund can be directed.

But - and here's the key - the legislation does not seem to provide that the Chief Executive MUST or SHALL direct a refund.

So I do wonder if the Gambling Regulatory Authority will take a proactive stance on refunds (or the lack thereof), or whether it will adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

2️⃣ Are there too many Singaporeans / Permanent Residents frequenting the casinos?

I mean, S$4.4 million in the span of just over a month sounds like a lot!

That's 88,000 daily visits, or 4,400 folks paying for annual passes.

Then again, let's have a sense of perspective. As of June 2023, there were 4.15 million Singaporeans / Permanent Residents.⁴ It is therefore fairly plausible that 2.12%⁵ of us had made a 1-day visit to a casino in that period, or that 0.11% of us had paid the yearly levy in that period - especially when you consider that in 2021, it was reported that 44% of Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 18 and above polled said they had taken part in at least one form of gambling activity in the past year.⁶

So while the figure sounds big, context matters.

As to whether this is still too many punters, I reserve comment.

3️⃣ When was the last time you made a S$4.4 million mistake?

I don't mean to sound snarky or cavalier, and I don't think anyone should be thrown under the bus for this lapse.

But the next time you want to beat yourself up over some inadvertent mess-up at work...

...considering being kinder to yourself.

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Oh, and Happy National Day!