Online sports betting resumes today

Online sports betting will resume in Singapore today, while punters can bet online on overseas horse races from Wednesday, said Singapore Pools yesterday evening.

In a press statement, the gaming operator said that all its outlets - branches, authorised retailers, Livewire venues and off-course betting centres - will remain closed till further notice.

"This is in line with the Government's phased approach of safe reopening and resumption of business activities," it said.

Lottery draws for 4-D, Toto and Singapore Sweep will remain suspended, and customers who have tickets for postponed draws are advised to retain them for upcoming draws.

Prize payments also remain on hold, and an announcement will be made on the extension of eligible prize-winning tickets for lottery draws, sports and/or horse racing events held between Oct 10 last year and April 5 this year when these services resume.

"Singapore Pools will continue its mission to provide safe and trusted betting to counter illegal gambling, which has seen rising cases during the circuit breaker," it added.

In early April, Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club said that they would not be offering betting and wagering until further notice after the Ministry of Health announced plans for the circuit breaker from April 7 to June 1 to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Of the major European football leagues, the German Bundesliga restarted on May 16, while Spain's La Liga kicked off again last Thursday. The English Premier League is set to resume on Wednesday.

Bets can be placed online for matches in these leagues, as well as the Swedish football league. Horse racing in Australia, Europe, Macau, Hong Kong and South Africa will also likely be featured.

Liverpool fan Sivaraj Rajaraman said: "It's good to have football back on, and it make things more interesting now that we can also start betting on the matches again."

Chelsea supporter Jansen Lim added: "It has been boring since the major leagues stopped and the circuit breaker came into play in Singapore. Of course, not being able to bet also meant we were able to save some money, and now we can wager on some games to make things more exciting while following European football again."