Founded in 1968, Singapore Pools offers legal lottery and sports betting services in a secure, trusted and efficient manner to combat loss of revenue to illegal gambling operators and to channel funds to good causes and charity. Its diversified product portfolio includes the lotto game Toto, pre-printed lottery game The Singapore Sweep, numbers game 4D, and football and motor racing sports betting. The company also offers an online platform for customers to onboard, manage their accounts and bet. In the 2019/2020 financial year, Singapore Pools collected close to S$9 billion in gross proceeds. 97 percent of this sum was passed on to Singaporeans in the form of prizes, while the remaining 2 percent went towards taxes and a small amount was used for operating expenses.
Yeo and his team have worked to shift the organisation from a legacy business with outdated processes and a manual workforce to an agile business that can be rapidly scaled up or down depending on demand. This was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many of Singapore Pools staff working from home and requiring reliable connectivity to access applications and customer data. The team quickly launched new digital channels and a modernised platform for customers to onboard, manage their account and bet online.
The company also implemented Poolz Connect, a telephone betting system that allows players to place their bets using the phone and speak with call operators at an IP-enabled call center. The platform is linked to local banks for secure e-payments, and it enabled Singapore Pools to create new revenue streams, improve customer service and reduce illegal betting activities.
Another key initiative was the launch of iShine Cloud, an IT support service for other charities that uses Singapore Pools infrastructure and resources. The service was launched during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis and helped keep charities running while other IT platforms were under strain. iShine Cloud has since onboarded 31 charities and 1,512 users and is looking to expand its solutions and capabilities in the future.
The company will be closing its branches on May 9 for half a day so employees can volunteer at a community event, which sees beneficiaries from social service agencies enjoy a day out at Gardens by the Bay and interact with augmented reality elements along walking trails. This is in line with the company’s commitment to make a difference in the lives of Singaporeans through the game of chance, and is part of its ongoing digital transformation strategy. IGT will deploy Aurora Navigator, Data Connector and Aurora Anywhere to support Singapore Pools, allowing the central system to be integrated into external applications for fast and efficient data integration while reducing management complexity and costs. Aurora Anywhere will serve as a secure gateway that allows for external applications to connect to the Aurora core lottery system, creating opportunities for expanded game play. IGT will also provide marketing support and operator training. IGT has previously deployed the Aurora central lottery system at more than 40 countries around the world.