A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Singapore Tote Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance, Singapore Pools is the sole legal operator of lotteries in the country. Established in 1968, the company has been a leader in transforming Singapore’s turbulent and risky gambling scene into something more manageable for individuals and families. It has played a significant role in promoting responsible gaming, and upholds selfregulating guidelines to ensure that the public remains safe and secure while enjoying its exciting array of gambling options – from lottery games like Toto and 4D to sports betting, horse racing, and online gambling.
Singapore Pools has continued to evolve with the times to meet the changing needs of its customers. In the past 50 years, it has worked with the government to combat illegal gambling activities, and pushed for responsible gambling to be built into the culture of the organization. As a result, Singapore Pools has earned the trust of its customers.
In 2023/ 2024, people in Singapore spent a record S$12.2 billion on lottery, sports, and horse races through their Singapore Pools accounts. This is up from S$11.4 billion in the previous financial year. Of this amount, 97% was channeled back to the community through Tote Board and other charities to support a wide variety of worthy causes.
Since Yeo took the helm in May, Singapore Pools has been on an ambitious journey to transform itself into a digital-first organization. His first priority was to transform its customer touchpoints, which were largely counter-service and in-person when he came onboard. He has since launched a mobile app and website that enable customers to sign up for an account, play, and bet online.
In addition, he has led the transformation of Singapore Pools’ IT infrastructure and services, enabling them to offer new products, such as iSPORTcard. The new card allows players to collect rewards points when they buy products or services at more than 200 outlets islandwide, including retail shops, fast-food restaurants, and taxi companies. It also offers additional benefits to iSPORTcard members, such as exclusive promotions and bonuses.
The team has also worked hard to promote responsible gambling among its customers, through initiatives such as hosting forums jointly with the Institute of Policy Studies in Singapore and working with the National Crime Prevention Council to dovetail responsible gaming messages into anti-illegal gambling campaigns. They have also introduced a suite of safer play tools, and have achieved World Lottery Association’s Responsible Gaming Framework Level 4 certification.
In keeping with its commitment to be a “Company for Good”, Singapore Pools has also invested in iShine Cloud, which provides other charities with affordable and integrated charity-specific solutions on a secure cloud-based IT platform. In this way, it hopes to help them improve productivity and governance while enabling them to focus more on their beneficiaries. More than 100 social service agencies and charities are currently using iShine Cloud. The company recently presented a cheque for S$500,000 to Community Chest, which is the philanthropy arm of the National Council of Social Service, at a special ceremony during its inaugural Community with a Heart (CWAH) campaign.