First Chairman of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA)– Richard Magnus

In 2008, Richard Magnus was a sitting Senior District Judge with more than 40 years’ experience in the Legal Service. In his early career as a magistrate, Richard Magnus dealt with numerous cases under the Common Gaming Houses Act, and the Betting Act, as well as anti-vice cases.

In 2008, Richard Magnus was a sitting Senior District Judge with more than 40 years’ experience in the Legal Service. It was after careful consideration that he agreed to the appointment.

The challenges of setting up a new regulatory entity were numerous, the primary one being having to start the agency starting from scratch.

“We’ve never had casinos in Singapore. How do we regulate the industry when we did not have the experience?” he mused.

The GRA also had to establish credibility and legitimacy which was critical for the new agency to earn the trust of not just the casino operators but also Singapore citizens.

The challenges were overcome with a great team, which worked tirelessly in the months leading up to the opening of the first casino in 2010. In 2015, Richard Magnus stepped down as Chairman after 7 years. Under his leadership, CRA developed and implemented a casino regulatory regime that is recognised internationally for being robust and effective.