Lottery Singapore is one of the largest lottery companies in Asia. It provides a wide range of betting services, including online gambling, football and motor-racing.
The Singapore state lottery was first introduced on 23 May 1968. Its founding was the outcome of a long-standing debate on state policy formulation and the repurposing of lottery revenue. Throughout the era of Singapore’s colonial rule, three different political administrations made proposals for a state lottery, but only the People’s Action Party (PAP) managed to implement a successful one.
Historical works on the state lottery largely focused on the state’s role in regulating its operation, as well as the repurposing of lottery revenues into social programs. This thesis seeks to deviate from the almost exclusively state-centered narrative and uncover the agency of lesser known assemblymen within the PAP government and the wider public discussion in contributing to the state lottery debate, while observing how these arguments changed over time.
In terms of the current state of the lottery industry, there was a dramatic surge in placed bets on Singapore lotteries and sports last year, as reported by The Straits Times. That amount reached $9.2bn in the 2021/22 financial year, marking a 40% increase on the previous year’s total.
While the number of players on Singapore’s state lotteries has remained stable, it remains an important source of revenue for Singapore. This resurgence in lottery betting is a clear indicator that the COVID-19 regulations are starting to pay off.