Online Gambling Not Important in Singapore, According to YouGov Survey

Posted on: September 13, 2022, 07:14h. 

Last updated on: September 16, 2022, 04:42h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The benefits of online gambling haven’t registered with people living in Singapore. That’s according to a study YouGov released this week that found the majority of Singaporeans don’t believe it should be a legal activity.

Aerial View Over Singapore Marina Bay
An aerial view over Singapore’s Marina Bay. A new study suggests online gambling isn’t a priority for most people in the country. (Image: iStock)

The UK-based research and analytics company’s report, Global Gambling 2022: The consumer view in the gambling debate, indicates that Singapore isn’t ready to embrace online gambling.

The study found that 56% of Singaporean adults aren’t ready to support online gambling. The firm emphasized that this is higher than the global average of 46%. The same report also discovered something interesting about Hong Kong gamblers, which could present problems for Macau.

YouGov surveyed consumers in 18 global markets between May 20 and June 3.

No Love for Online Gambling

Singapore’s level of anti-online gambling support is the same as that of China, where all forms of gambling are illegal. Singapore, on the other hand, enjoys a solid land-based casino market and is adding new options.

Unsurprisingly, resistance was greater in older age brackets. Some 68% of Baby Boomers reject the idea of online gambling, while the figure is 62% for Generation X. Some 44% of Millennials and 45% of Gen Z-ers also don’t see the value of online gambling in the country.

This makes sense, as younger generations generally rely on technology more than older generations do. As such, they are more ready to accept digital activity as the norm.

Likewise, YouGov surveyed Singaporeans about the current state of online gambling regulations. Only 28% of Gen Z-ers and Gen X-ers believe the country’s laws are unnecessarily strict.

Hong Kong Gamblers Uneasy

While the YouGov report looked at numerous regions, the results in Singapore stand out because of the gambling reforms underway in the country. Hong Kong also earned a mention because of what its gamblers reported.

The Chinese SAR has long been a prominent feeder market for Macau. However, in light of the current COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong’s sister SAR, gamblers might be losing interest.

YouGov determined that 42% of Hong Kong residents are apprehensive about visiting land-based casinos – in Macau or elsewhere – because of COVID-19. Whether this is only because of the health risks from COVID-19 or because Macau gambling continues to face closures isn’t clear in the report.

It’s important to keep an open mind about the findings. Hong Kong has a population of almost 7.5 million people. YouGov’s study indicates that it based its conclusion on the input of just 508 respondents.

Before COVID-19, Hong Kong delivered around 15% of Macau’s gambling traffic. The small percentage of responses to the survey may not accurately reflect the proper sentiment that a more complete study would have provided.