An investigation by The Straits Times has found that an offshore online gambling platform targeting Singaporean players has been using locally registered companies to process deposits and payouts via PayNow during the FIFA World Cup.
The newspaper reported that Curacao-licensed operator GemBet accepts bets from Singapore through localized website addresses before directing users to its main platform, where customers can fund digital wallets using cryptocurrencies or PayNow.
According to the investigation, players choosing PayNow are instructed to transfer funds to one of three Singapore-registered companies incorporated earlier this year. The businesses include a manpower contracting firm, a cleaning services company and a wholesale trading business, all of which were registered between March and May 2026. The Straits Times reported that all three companies are registered to Housing Board residential addresses. Visits to the listed addresses raised questions over their connection to the businesses, with occupants either saying they were unfamiliar with the company or noting that the registered owner was a full-time national serviceman.
The publication also found that GemBet openly markets itself to Singaporean customers, describing itself as a home-grown betting platform that relocated to Malaysia in 2022. The operator promotes Singapore-specific payment options, including instructional videos showing customers how to make deposits using DBS Bank accounts. GemBet’s website lists AC Milan midfielder Luka Modrić as a brand ambassador and claims to be the official Southeast Asian betting partner of Spanish football club Athletic Bilbao.
Corporate records reviewed by The Straits Times show the platform is operated by Curacao-incorporated Grand Complications NV, which has registered more than 1,900 domain names, many incorporating the GemBet brand. The investigation also identified a Cyprus-based subsidiary, Rockman Enterprises, as handling payment services.
When contacted by the newspaper through the platform’s live chat, a customer service representative reportedly claimed the service was legal for users in Singapore and described the locally registered companies handling PayNow transactions as legitimate affiliates. The operator declined to disclose the number of Singapore customers or the value of bets originating from the country before suspending the reporter’s account.
Website analytics firm Semrush estimated GemBet’s website received nearly 50,000 visits globally during June. The findings come as Singapore authorities continue to intensify enforcement against illegal remote gambling. Earlier this month, police arrested 17 people during coordinated raids across multiple locations, including Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Pasir Ris and Bukit Batok. Authorities seized more than SG$720,000 ($564,000) in cash, along with mobile phones, computers and other gambling-related equipment.
Separately, the Gambling Regulatory Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development announced on 9th June that more than 3,400 illegal gambling websites, over 260 bank accounts and more than SG$36 million ($28.2 million) in payments linked to unlawful remote gambling had been blocked.
Under Singapore’s Gambling Control Act, individuals who gamble with illegal operators face fines of up to SG$10,000 ($7,800), imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Those convicted of operating or facilitating unlawful gambling services face penalties of up to SG$500,000 ($391,000) and seven years’ imprisonment, with higher penalties applying to repeat offenders.
