SGP Pools, a state-owned company operating lottery and sports betting services, is regulated by the Gaming Regulatory Authority (GRA), who took over from previous regulators like Casino Regulatory Authority, Gambling Regulatory Unit of Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore Totalisator Board in August this year. SGP Pools’ surplus funds go towards various community initiatives. It operates under Tote Board which in turn reports back its surplus for distribution. It channels profits back through to community initiatives.
Singapore Pools offers an assortment of products, such as Toto, 4D and Singapore Sweep. In addition, sports and horse racing betting is offered. In terms of IT strategy, Singapore Pools’ primary aim is digitalisation to enable an agile business structure.
Singapore Pools was challenged with quickly and efficiently introducing new services and systems in response to the pandemic, including an online lottery platform which enabled customers to purchase tickets for Toto draws as well as other products over the internet. Furthermore, customer service capacities needed to meet increased product demands had to be expanded in order to remain efficient.
PoolzConnect was instrumental in this achievement; an IP-based telephone system that allowed players to place bets by calling a specific number, then transferred winnings directly into predefined and approved bank accounts – ensuring players could easily withdraw winnings without worrying about being defrauded by unscrupulous operators.
SGP pools ensures its customers’ safety by conducting regular water testing. Evaporation issues caused by leaks in the pool structure or cracks around fittings are tested for; as are bacteria found in human faeces and urine samples. SGP pools uses these tests’ results to quickly identify and address any potential problems within its customer pool.
SGP Pools has also made the shift from gambling organization to “Company for Good.” In 2018, SGP established iShine Cloud, an affordable cloud-based IT platform offering affordable solutions that help charities improve their productivity, governance, and serve more beneficiaries.
Singapore Pools’ efforts in using their IT resources for charitable causes is an inspiring example, and we hope more organizations follow suit. COVID-19 has increased the pace of change within many organisations, so we expect many others to utilize IT capabilities in positive ways to make an impactful contribution to their local communities. We look forward to working alongside more organisations like Singapore Pools to meet their business objectives in the near future – thank you.