After the Remote Gambling Act was passed in October 2014 with the aim of restricting all aspects of remote gambling (i.e. gambling activities conducted through the phone or Internet), the Gambling Regulatory Unit of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has now started to block many gambling websites, including websites operated by popular betting firms such as bet365, Ladbrokes and 888.com.
Internet service providers have already been ordered to block access to several websites and the list of blocked websites will be regularly reviewed by the authorities.
Under the Act, unlicensed online and phone gambling is a criminal offence and gamblers may be punished with a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment.
In addition, banks and financial institutions can be ordered to block payments and funds transfers to and from unauthorised gambling websites, and there will also be a ban on online gambling advertisements. Internet service providers and financial institutions that do not comply with orders made under the Act are also liable to be prosecuted under criminal law.
More information on these developments may be found here.