The Background of the Singapore Pools

Out of the lottery pools in Singapore, the only legal lottery operator in Singapore is the Singapore Pools. The owner of the Singapore Pools is the Singapore Totalisator Board which is a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance. The reason for its legality is to curb illegal gambling. Singapore Pools provides a legal channel for betting. The surplus earnings of the Singapore Pools are devoted towards worthy causes, serving the needs of the community. For example, one of Singapore Pools' first projects was to raise funds for the National Stadium which is operated by the Singapore Sports Council. In fact, Singapore Pools contributed $14.5 million towards the project. Singapore Pools is a major sponsor for the Singapore Sports Council. Money from Singapore Pools is distributed to various National Sports Associations and other organizations.

It is said that Singapore Pools views the lottery and gaming industry as "an IT-enabled business". Its aspiration is to remain a competitive IT-enabled business focused on improving customer service and its daily operations. It scored a major IT accomplishment last year when it successfully implemented PoolzConnect which is a telephone betting system based on an IP based call center and security payment gateway that is linked to local banks. The key objectives were to provide a remote access and personalized betting service, by speaking with call operators at the IP-enabled call center via the telephone. Simply by using their telephones, customers can now place bets from the comfort of their home, and also be able to receive their wining prize automatically and securely.

Singapore Pools currently has about 500 employees and with IT staff of about 50.