Local visitors to Singapore casinos fall 3.2% in 2025, says regulator

The number of Singapore citizens and permanent residents who visited the city’s urban casinos fell 3.2% year‑on‑year in 2025, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) reported in its 2025–26 annual report. Total local visits were about 91,000 in 2025, down from 94,000 in 2024; that figure represents 2.7% of the country’s adult population.

Key figures on local visitors to Singapore casinos in 2025

The GRA report records that the two urban casinos — [Marina Bay Sands](/casino) and Resorts World Sentosa — hosted about 91,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents (SCPRs) in 2025. That volume equals 2.7% of Singapore’s adult population. In 2024, the GRA recorded 94,000 SCPR visitors, or 2.8% of the adult population.

The regulator’s statistics also show that the number of annual casino‑entry pass holders remained stable at around 6,700 in both 2024 and 2025.

Historical context: third consecutive annual decline since the pandemic

GRA data mark 2025 as the third consecutive year of decline in local visitor counts since the onset of the Covid‑19 pandemic. The regulator’s published history shows:

1. 2018: 127,000 local visitors.

2. 2019: decreased to 107,000 following increases in resident entry fees.

3. 2020: dropped to 79,000 coinciding with the start of the Covid‑19 pandemic.

4. 2021: rose to 96,000.

5. 2022: 104,000.

6. 2024: 94,000.

7. 2025: 91,000.

The resident access fee increases implemented from April 2019 form part of public policy intended to “minimise the social impact of problem gambling.” Under that reform the 24‑hour entry fee rose from SGD100 (US$78.2) to SGD150, and the annual pass increased from SGD2,000 to SGD3,000.

Regulation, licences and renewals assessed by the GRA

In its report the GRA states that licence renewals underwent a rigorous assessment process in 2025. The licence for Marina Bay Sands was renewed for a three‑year term in 2025 — the maximum permitted by the Casino Control Act — and Singapore Pools, the statutory operator of lottery and sports betting, also had its licence renewed in the same cycle.

Resorts World Sentosa received a two‑year licence renewal in November 2024, according to the GRA document. The authority emphasised that these renewals followed confirmation that operators met the stringent regulatory standards required.

“At the core of the GRA’s work is our commitment to ensure that gambling activities in Singapore are regulated firmly and effectively,” said Daniel Tan, chief executive of the GRA, in the annual report.

Safety and casino‑related crime: regulator findings

GRA chairman Hoong Wee Teck noted in the report that casino‑related crime “remained low” during 2025. The GRA did not report significant increases in security incidents linked to the operations of the two licensed resorts.

What the numbers mean for operators and public policy

The fall to 91,000 local visitors in 2025 continues a downward trajectory since 2022, when the figure was 104,000. The GRA highlights two items in its official communication: stability in the number of annual passes and continuity in licence processes that, according to the authority, confirm operators’ regulatory compliance.

The two operators in the duopoly are named explicitly in the report: Marina Bay Sands, managed by a unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp, and Resorts World Sentosa, operated by Genting Singapore Ltd. The document does not attribute the change in visit numbers to a single cause and limits its conclusions to measured facts and administrative decisions on licences and fees.

Operational and compliance implications

For operators and suppliers, the regulatory message could be read as a confirmation of continuity: the GRA has renewed key licences and continues to impose control and assessment requirements. The regulator states that maintaining regulatory standards is a precondition for licence renewal and explicitly says licence decisions were subject to rigorous evaluation.

“These indicators, while only part of the GRA’s wider efforts, reflect our sustained commitment to effective regulation, strong partnerships and protection of the public interest,” Hoong Wee Teck said in the report.

The authority did not introduce new access measures or fee changes in 2025, and the public figures in the report serve as a reference point for subsequent analysis of the domestic market and the minimisation‑of‑harm policy.