World Cup 2026: Overseas gambling site using Singapore firms to collect illegal bets
SINGAPORE - 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.GemBet, which is based in the Caribbean island of Curacao, has website addresses (URLs) for different countries including Singapore.The Straits Times learnt that deposits for bets, and payouts for wins, are being funnelled through three local companies registered in 2026 - 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.Punters who access local URLs of GemBet are directed to its main website.After registering, punters have to create a digital wallet where they place deposits using payment methods including cryptocurrencies and PayNow.Those who opt for PayNow are directed to transfer money via one of the three Singapore companies.The bets are taken out of the wallets.Checks against Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records show that the three companies are registered to Housing Board residential units.