SINGAPORE CASINO ENTRY LEVY 2026 — COMPLETE GUIDE
Casino Entry Levy 2026 At A Glance
What Is the Singapore Casino Entry Levy?
The Singapore Casino Entry Levy is a fee that Singapore citizens and permanent residents must pay to enter the gaming floor at either of Singapore's two licensed integrated resort casinos: Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). The levy was introduced in 2010 when the two casinos opened, as one of several social-safeguard measures that accompanied the legalisation of casino gaming in Singapore. The policy intent was to create financial friction that would discourage problem gambling among Singaporeans while raising revenue for community and charitable purposes.
The levy is administered under the Casino Control Act 2006, which continues to govern the two integrated resorts alongside the Gambling Control Act 2022 that consolidated all other gambling regulation. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA), established on 1 August 2022, is responsible for enforcement of the levy and for maintaining the integrated-resort-specific licensing framework that the Casino Control Act provides.
The levy is distinct from any wagering, gaming tax or service charge inside the casinos. It is a flat entry fee that gives the holder access to the gaming floor, after which all gaming activity is on standard commercial terms. Holding a levy does not provide any house credit, loyalty points or gaming voucher. Each integrated resort applies the same levy with the same rates; there is no MBS-specific or RWS-specific levy.
How Much Does the Levy Cost?
As of June 2026, the levy has two tiers: a 24-hour entry at SGD 150 and an annual pass at SGD 3,000. The 24-hour entry is valid for unlimited re-entry within the 24-hour window measured from first entry. The annual pass is valid for 365 days from the date of purchase and allows unlimited entries during that period. There is no monthly tier.
The levy is paid at the entry point of either casino. MBS and RWS both have dedicated levy-payment counters near the gaming-floor entrance, where Singapore citizens and PRs present their NRIC or PR card and pay by cash, NETS, eNETS, debit card or selected credit cards. PayNow is also accepted at MBS for levy payment as of mid-2025. The annual pass can be purchased and renewed online through the official IR websites with NRIC verification.
The 24-hour entry is the right choice for an occasional casino visitor who expects to spend a single evening on the gaming floor. The break-even calculation between the 24-hour entry and the annual pass is straightforward: SGD 3,000 / SGD 150 = 20 entries. If you expect to visit the gaming floor 20 or more times in a 365-day window, the annual pass saves you money. A daily gambler would clearly benefit from the annual pass; a quarterly visitor would not.
The levy applies once per 24-hour window per casino. A Singapore citizen visiting MBS for an evening pays the SGD 150 levy at MBS; if the same person later that night drives to RWS, they must pay another SGD 150 to enter the RWS gaming floor. The 24-hour entries are not interchangeable across the two casinos. An annual pass holder enjoys cross-casino access at both MBS and RWS without a separate annual fee per casino.
Who Pays the Levy — And Who Is Exempt?
Singapore citizens aged 21 and above pay the levy. Anyone holding a pink Singapore NRIC and aged 21 or older must pay either the 24-hour entry or hold a valid annual pass to enter the gaming floor at MBS or RWS. The levy applies regardless of income, profession or employment status.
Singapore permanent residents aged 21 and above pay the levy. Anyone holding a blue Singapore PR card and aged 21 or older is subject to the same levy as a citizen. The PR card is checked at the entrance levy counter.
Foreigners do not pay the levy. Tourists holding any foreign passport can enter the MBS and RWS gaming floors for free upon presenting their passport at the entrance. Foreign nationals on Singapore work passes (Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Dependant's Pass) who do not hold PR status also enter for free upon presenting passport. This is the case even if the foreigner is a long-term Singapore resident, provided they have not converted to PR.
Anyone under 21 cannot enter at all. The minimum age for the casino gaming floor is 21 for all nationalities. SG citizens and PRs under 21 cannot enter the gaming floor even with payment of the levy. Foreigners under 21 cannot enter even though no levy applies to them. There are no exceptions for parental supervision; the age limit is strict.
Specific exclusions. Casino self-excluded persons (those who have entered into a self-exclusion order via the NCPG framework), family-excluded persons (subject to a Family Exclusion Order under the Gambling Control Act 2022) and third-party-excluded persons (typically MAS bankruptcy-related exclusions) are barred from entering the gaming floor regardless of payment. The GRA and the IRs maintain the exclusion registry and the entry system flags any registered excluded person at the levy counter.
Levy History: From SGD 100 to SGD 150
When the two integrated resorts opened in 2010, the Casino Entry Levy was set at SGD 100 per 24-hour entry and SGD 2,000 for an annual pass. These rates remained unchanged for over 11 years.
In April 2022, the rates were increased to the current SGD 150 / SGD 3,000 levels, a 50% nominal increase for both tiers. The increase was announced as part of the broader 2022 reform package that accompanied the Gambling Control Act 2022 and the establishment of the GRA. Ministry of Home Affairs statements at the time framed the increase as a routine recalibration to maintain the levy's real-terms friction effect, given consumer-price inflation since 2010, and to support increased funding for problem-gambling programmes through the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Since April 2022, the rates have remained at SGD 150 / SGD 3,000. There has been no further increase through 2025 or into 2026. Future increases are possible but typically signalled through Parliamentary debate and Ministry of Home Affairs announcements well in advance.
| Period | 24-Hour Entry | Annual Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2010 to Mar 2022 | SGD 100 | SGD 2,000 |
| Apr 2022 to present (Jun 2026) | SGD 150 | SGD 3,000 |
Where Does the Levy Revenue Go?
Casino Entry Levy revenue does not enter the operators' (MBS' and RWS') accounts. The levy is paid into the Singapore Totalisator Board, the same statutory body that owns Singapore Pools. The Totalisator Board distributes the funds to community, sports, arts and charitable purposes through its standard grant-making framework.
A specific allocation from levy revenue is directed to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) for problem-gambling education, prevention programmes, counselling services and the operation of the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1800-6-668-668. The NCPG is the principal beneficiary of the levy from a problem-gambling perspective, though the bulk of revenue flows to general community and charitable purposes.
Total Casino Entry Levy revenue is not publicly disaggregated but, based on Singapore Tourism Board data on the casino footfall mix and the announced revenue figures from the Totalisator Board, the levy is estimated to generate roughly SGD 150 million to SGD 250 million per year. This is small relative to the casinos' SGD 4 billion-plus combined gross gaming revenue but material as a source of charitable funding.
GRA Enforcement and Compliance
The GRA is responsible for enforcing both the levy collection process and the broader Casino Control Act framework that governs MBS and RWS. The two integrated resorts are licensed under the Casino Control Act 2006 and must comply with strict requirements covering levy collection, identity verification, age verification, exclusion checks, anti-money-laundering procedures, and responsible-gambling measures.
In practice, levy collection is highly automated. Both MBS and RWS use NRIC/PR-card readers at the entrance levy counter that automatically validate identity, check the exclusion registry, calculate any unpaid balance, and accept payment. Manual override is rare. The exclusion registry is updated in real-time by the GRA and includes NCPG self-exclusions, Family Exclusion Orders, MAS bankruptcy exclusions and third-party exclusions.
Compliance failures can attract penalties under the Casino Control Act 2006. The integrated resorts themselves face significant financial penalties (up to several million SGD per violation) and licence-condition consequences for systematic levy-collection failures. Individuals who attempt to circumvent the levy (for example, by presenting a foreign passport while actually being a Singapore citizen) commit an offence under both the Casino Control Act 2006 and the Immigration Act.
How the Levy Compares to Offshore Crypto Casinos
For SG residents weighing whether to visit MBS or RWS versus using an offshore crypto casino, the levy is one factor among several. The headline cost difference is real: SGD 150 per visit at MBS/RWS versus zero entry cost at any offshore crypto casino. Across a year, this is the difference between SGD 3,000 (annual pass) and zero.
However, the cost comparison is incomplete without the broader trade-off. The integrated resorts offer the GRA's full consumer-protection framework: licensed dealers, audited game integrity, formal complaint procedures, exclusion options through the NCPG, and the substantial operational reliability of two SGX-traded operators with billions in fixed assets. Offshore crypto casinos offer none of these. They are not regulated by the GRA, their game-integrity provenance varies (some are provably fair, many are not), formal complaints route through a Curacao or Costa Rican regulator if at all, and there is no NCPG self-exclusion coverage.
The legal framework also differs. Visiting MBS or RWS is fully lawful for SG residents who pay the levy. Using an offshore crypto casino is technically prohibited under the Gambling Control Act 2022 (although as our complete legal guide explains, no individual SG resident has been prosecuted for offshore play in practice). For SG residents who simply want a casual casino night out a few times a year, the levy plus the legal certainty of MBS or RWS is competitive with the cost-and-risk profile of offshore.
For SG players who specifically want crypto-denominated play, faster withdrawals, deeper game variety, or sportsbook breadth that the IRs do not offer (the IRs do not have online sportsbooks of any kind), the offshore option becomes more attractive. Our best crypto casinos for SG players guide ranks the most-used offshore operators for SG residents who choose this path.
| Factor | MBS / RWS | Offshore Crypto Casino |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Cost (SG resident) | SGD 150/24hr or SGD 3,000/yr | None |
| Legal Status | Fully lawful | Technically prohibited |
| Regulator | GRA | Curacao/Costa Rica (typically) |
| NCPG Self-Exclusion | Yes (full coverage) | No coverage |
| Game Variety | ~600 tables/slots per IR | 3,000 to 8,000+ slots |
| Sportsbook | No (land-based casino only) | Yes (most operators) |
| Payment | SGD cash, debit, credit, NETS | BTC, ETH, USDT (no SGD) |
| Withdrawal Speed | Instant (chips for cash) | 30 min to 2 hrs typical |
| Open Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
Responsible Play and Exclusion Options
For SG residents who use the integrated resorts, the GRA framework provides several exclusion options for managing or stopping problem gambling. These are administered by the NCPG and recorded in the entry system at MBS and RWS, so an excluded person is blocked at the levy counter automatically.
Self-exclusion. A Singapore citizen or PR can self-exclude from MBS and RWS through the NCPG online portal. The exclusion is typically one year or lifetime, and is enforced at the entry point. During exclusion, the person cannot enter the gaming floor regardless of levy payment attempt. Removal of the self-exclusion requires a formal application and a cooling-off period.
Family exclusion. Under the Gambling Control Act 2022, an immediate family member (spouse, parent, adult child, sibling) can apply for a Family Exclusion Order against an at-risk individual. The NCPG reviews the application and, if granted, the order is enforced at the casino entry point. Family exclusion runs for a defined period and can be renewed.
Third-party exclusion. MAS-administered bankruptcy exclusions and certain other statutory exclusions also block entry. Undischarged bankrupts are automatically excluded from the casino gaming floor under Casino Control Act provisions.
Visit limits. Beyond exclusion, the NCPG offers visit limits that cap the number of entries per month while allowing some controlled access. The visit limit framework was expanded in 2024 to provide a stepped-down option between full self-exclusion and unrestricted access.
Important gap to recognise: the NCPG self-exclusion programme does not extend to offshore crypto casinos. A Singapore resident who has self-excluded from MBS/RWS remains technically able to use offshore sites. This is a significant gap in the responsible-gambling framework. If you are at risk and need confidential support, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1800-6-668-668 (24/7, English/Mandarin/Malay/Tamil) or visit NCPG.org.sg.
Key Takeaways
- • The Singapore Casino Entry Levy in 2026 is SGD 150 per 24-hour entry or SGD 3,000 for an annual pass at both MBS and RWS.
- • The levy applies to SG citizens and PRs aged 21 and above. Foreigners enter free; under-21s cannot enter at all.
- • Rates were last increased in April 2022 from SGD 100 / SGD 2,000. They have remained at the current levels through 2026.
- • Levy revenue funds community, sports, arts and the National Council on Problem Gambling. Enforcement is by the GRA via real-time entry-point checks.
- • NCPG self-exclusion, family exclusion and visit limits cover MBS/RWS but not offshore crypto casinos. For support contact 1800-6-668-668.