Singapore Pools: 3,000 bets paid out twice after system glitch; winners received double winning payouts

SINGAPORE: Lottery and sports betting operator Singapore Pools is seeking to recover excess winnings after a system glitch led to about 3,000 bets being paid out twice.

The disruption happened on the morning of Feb 11, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. According to a notice on its website on Feb 12, the issue was caused by technical problems. It was not a cyber attack, and no customer data was affected.

“About 3,000 cases experienced double settlement of bets, which led to winners receiving double the winning payouts through their online accounts,” Singapore Pools said. The company is now notifying affected online customers and recovering the extra amounts paid.

The glitch also meant around 13,000 bets, placed both online and at retail outlets, were not recorded in the system. Singapore Pools said it will refund the stakes and honour any winning bets linked to those cases.

“The disruption has since been resolved, and systems are operating normally,” the company added. Online customers will be contacted directly. Those who placed bets at retail outlets can call 6786 6688 for help.

While the issue lasted three hours, it affected thousands of transactions. In Singapore, where state-run betting is tightly regulated, even short outages draw attention. The fast clarification that it was a technical fault, not a cyber incident, helps ease concerns over data safety.

Singapore Pools said it regrets the inconvenience and is continuing efforts to identify affected customers. For punters who briefly saw larger balances in their accounts, the message is that the extra funds were a system error, not a windfall.