The more punters wager on their favourite lottery, football, horse-racing and motor racing events, the higher the revenue that Singapore Pools collects. The more it rakes in, the more it can give back to the community.
The challenge facing the top management of Singapore Pools is to strike a balance between its role as an organisation that gives back and its mission to be one of the world’s best lottery operators. In the last financial year, it collected close to S$9 billion. Of that, 70% was returned to winners and 22% – excluding GST – was channelled to the Government in taxes and duties as well as the Tote Board in funding for charity and community projects.
In addition to a comprehensive sports betting selection, Singapore Pools offers a wide range of other gaming products, including 4D games and TOTO. It also offers online and mobile betting services for those who prefer to do their wagering from the comfort of their own home. Its mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.
As part of its commitment to be a “Company for Good”, Singapore Pools has partnered with various organisations and initiatives, including the National Kidney Foundation. It also launched iShine Cloud in 2018, where it provides other charities with a suite of integrated charity solutions through a secure cloud-based IT platform, helping them to improve their productivity, governance and efficiency of operations so they can better serve the needs of their beneficiaries.
Singapore Pools has also stepped up its efforts to protect its staff from cyber attacks. Yeo says: “The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of safeguarding against online threats.” As a result, staff at its IT service centres are trained to spot phishing attempts. Some employees have also been retrained to work remotely during the pandemic, and this has helped reduce operational disruptions and increase staff productivity.
While some believe that the lucky outlets are blessed by the fortune god or have good fengshui, Mr Koh believes that it is all about statistics. To help its customers understand the odds of winning in their chosen game, the company conducts regular surveys. It has a team of experts to analyse the data and share their findings with players. This helps them to make informed decisions about their bets and maximize their chances of winning. However, he warns that gambling should not be seen as a form of entertainment and those who are addicted should seek professional help. Besides, gambling is not suitable for everyone and it can have serious health consequences. It can lead to an unhealthy obsession and should not be used as a tool to escape from reality. This is why it is important to have a balanced life and limit the amount of time you spend playing. In addition, you should never play with money that you cannot afford to lose. If you feel that you are losing control of your finances, seek professional advice immediately.