SINGAPORE \u2013 A gambling website based overseas has been collecting illegal bets on FIFA World Cup matches from punters in Singapore who make transactions via PayNow with local firms.<\/p>\n
GemBet, which is based in the Caribbean island of Curacao, has website addresses (URLs) for different countries including Singapore.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times learnt that deposits for bets, and payouts for wins, are being funnelled through three local companies registered in 2026 \u2013 a manpower contracting service incorporated on March 3, a cleaning services company registered on April 29, and a wholesale trading firm incorporated on May 29.<\/p>\n
Punters who access local URLs of GemBet are directed to its main website.<\/p>\n
After registering, punters have to create a digital wallet where they place deposits using payment methods including cryptocurrencies and PayNow.<\/p>\n
Those who opt for PayNow are directed to transfer money via one of the three Singapore companies.<\/p>\n
The bets are taken out of the wallets.<\/p>\n Punters on GemBet are first made to deposit their funds in a wallet before placing bets. Selecting the PayNow option results in a Singapore-registered firm\u2019s details being presented.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GEMBET<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Checks against Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records show that the three companies are registered to Housing Board residential units.<\/p>\n ST visited the three units on July 15. At the address for the manpower company, a man said he did not recognise the name of the business owner. He said he had been living there for a decade.<\/p>\n At the cleaning services company address, an occupant said the 23-year-old business owner is his nephew. He said the young man is currently a full-time national serviceman.<\/p>\n No one responded at the address of the trading firm. A neighbour said she has rarely seen anyone entering or leaving the unit.<\/p>\n On its website and social media pages, GemBet describes itself as a home-grown sports betting operation in Singapore. It says that it was set up in 2020, before it moved to Malaysia in 2022.<\/p>\n The platform claims ties to high-profile European football teams, and says it is the official South-east Asian betting partner for Spanish club Athletic Bilbao.<\/p>\n On its website, it features AC Milan star Luka Modric as its brand ambassador.<\/p>\n GemBet does not hide that it targets local punters, with tips on YouTube for how funds can be deposited using DBS Bank accounts.<\/p>\n GemBet\u2019s Facebook account was set up on Jan 13. Its X account, which was created in December 2022, shows its location tagged as the United Arab Emirates, while its connection is made via the Apple App Store in Bulgaria.<\/p>\n The platform is operated by an offshore entity incorporated in Curacao \u2013 Grand Complications NV.<\/p>\n The firm registered more than 1,900 domain names over the years, many of which are variations of the term GemBet. One was registered only a day before the World Cup opening match on June 11.<\/p>\n Checks on corporate intelligence platform Sayari showed the firm has a subsidiary named Rockman Enterprises, which is based in Cyprus and responsible for handling payment services.<\/p>\n ST posed as a would-be punter via live chat on GemBet\u2019s website, and was greeted by a customer service operator who said the platform is legal for users in the Republic.<\/p>\n The operator said the Singapore-registered businesses receiving payments via PayNow on its behalf were \u201clegitimate\u201d and affiliated with the platform.<\/p>\n The operator refused to elaborate on the firms\u2019 relationship with GemBet and the number of Singapore-based gamblers on the platform as well as the amount of money originating from here, saying such figures are \u201cconfidential and internal details\u201d.<\/p>\n The platform then suspended the account ST created.<\/p>\n Online traffic monitoring website Semrush showed there were close to 50,000 global visits to GemBet\u2019s website in June.<\/p>\n A record $12.7 billion<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was spent on lottery, sports betting and horse racing in the financial year 2024\/2025 through Singapore Pools.<\/p>\n Bets placed on websites like GemBet are illegal and carry heavy penalties.<\/p>\n Anyone who places bets with an unlawful gambling service faces a fine of up to $10,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.<\/p>\n Individuals found guilty of operating or assisting unlawful gambling services face fines of up to $500,000 and jail terms of up to seven years, while repeat offenders risk fines of up to $700,000 and up to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n More than 3,400 illegal gambling websites, over 260 bank accounts and more than $36 million in payments linked to illegal remote gambling services were blocked by the Gambling Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development said on June 9.<\/p>\n However, despite heavy penalties, punters have been involved in illegal gambling activities by placing bets on websites based overseas.<\/p>\n On July 6, 17 people were arrested<\/span><\/a> in islandwide operations targeting unlawful remote gambling.<\/p>\n The simultaneous raids conducted in multiple locations such as Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Pasir Ris and Bukit Batok led to the seizure of more than $720,000 in cash.<\/p>\n A total of 14 men and three women were arrested, and electronic devices including mobile phones, computers and gambling-related paraphernalia were seized.<\/p>\n During the European Football Championship in 2021,\u00a072 people in Singapore were arrested<\/span><\/a>\u00a0as part of an Interpol-led operation targeting illegal football\u00a0gambling.\u00a0<\/p>\n More than $800,000 in cash as well as computers, laptops, mobile phones and other items were seized.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
Heavy penalties<\/h2>\n