SINGAPORE - Behind the smiles of a trio of construction workers, posing for a photo at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino’s glitzy entrance, lies a sobering reality.

The Bangladeshi men visit the casino almost every week, spending $200 each time to “check their luck,” they told The Straits Times on a Sunday in July.

They earn between $1,500 and $3,000 a month. Requesting pseudonyms to protect their privacy, one of them, Shetaj confessed that he had once lost $1,400 in a single day while gambling.

Their stories reflect the experience of some migrant workers who join the bustling weekend crowd at the gambling tables of MBS and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

At the same time, a quiet shift is underway. Foreign workers’ exclusions from certain gambling activities have increased in recent years, according to National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG) statistics.

About 24,000 foreigners were excluded from Singapore Pools’ online betting, and about 28,000 from jackpot machine rooms in 2024, a five-fold increase from about 4,100 and 5,100 respectively in 2022.

Most of the foreigners’ exclusions - about 155,000 each year - are still for casinos, a number that has held steady over the same period.

About 90 per cent of excluded foreigners are on work permits, the typical pass type for migrant workers and migrant domestic workers.

These exclusions may be made by migrant workers, or employers with their consent. It effectively bars them from these gambling activities for at least a year.

The numbers do not necessarily indicate a rise in problem gambling among foreign workers, as the increase is mainly driven by employers who want to protect their workers.