New Legal Framework to Regulate Gambling in Singapore

The Remote Gaming Bill, introduced in Parliament on 8 September 2014, was passed on 7 October 2014. The Remote Gambling Act creates a legal framework to regulate remote gambling in Singapore. The Act governs gambling activity which is conducted not just over the Internet, but also through the telephone, interactive television, radio or any other communication technology (collectively referred to in the Act as 'remote communication'). Once the Act comes into operation, remote gambling will be rendered illegal in Singapore unless the specific exemptions apply. The provisions of the Act not only affect individuals based in Singapore, but also extend extra-territorially to cover remote gambling operators and their agents based locally and abroad.

To read more about the Remote Gambling Act, please access the firm's Update here.

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Amendments to the Copyright Act to Combat Piracy

On 8 July 2014, the Singapore Parliament passed amendments to the Copyright Act to introduce new measures aimed at tackling online copyright infringement.  The most significant of these new measures aim to enable content rights holders to apply directly to the courts for an injunction to block sites which "clearly and flagrantly" infringe copyright, without having to sue internet service providers.  

Please access our Update here for a more detailed discussion of the new measures contained in the Act.

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Singapore's National Jobs Bank

From 1 August 2014, prior to making an application for an employment pass, companies in Singapore will be required to advertise the job vacancy on a new national jobs bank administered by the Workforce Development Agency for at least 14 days.  This is part of the Singapore government’s effort to ensure that companies consider Singaporeans fairly for job vacancies, and put in place fair employment, hiring and staff development practices that are open, merit-based and non-discriminatory.

To read more about the national jobs bank, please refer to our Update here.

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Passage of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act

The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act was passed in Parliament on 5 August 2014.  It came into operation on 25 September 2014.  Broadly, the Act imposes criminal and civil liability on entities directly or indirectly contributing to haze pollution in Singapore.  The Act imposes both civil and criminal liability when haze levels in Singapore pass a threshold of the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) of 101 or higher, for a lasting period of 24 hours or more.  The Act covers conduct occurring both within and outside of Singapore, which is crucial in tackling the transboundary nature of the haze pollution problem. 

For more information on the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, please refer to the firm's Update here.

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Launch of the ASEAN CIS Framework

At the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore in 2007, ASEAN leaders jointly adopted the ASEAN Economic Blueprint ("Blueprint"), with the goal of establishing ASEAN as a single market and production base, with a free flow of goods, services, investments and skilled labour, and a freer flow of capital.

Pursuant to the Blueprint, the ASEAN Capital Market Forum developed an implementation plan to promote the development of an integrated capital market to achieve the objectives of the Blueprint.   As part of the plan, the ASEAN Collective Investment Schemes Framework was launched by securities regulators in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand on 25 August 2014.  Under this Framework, fund managers based in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand can offer collective investment schemes constituted and authorised in their home jurisdictions directly to retail investors in the other two ASEAN countries under a streamlined authorisation process.   

Please refer to the firm's Update here to read more about the ASEAN CIS Framework.

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