Singapore is getting ready to regulate trading card packs due to them being seen as part of the wider “blind box” trend that can encourage gambling‑like behaviour.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says the rules are still being drafted, and they’ll announce the details and rollout timeline when everything’s finalised. The move follows comments made by Minister K. Shanmugam earlier in February, when he told Parliament that MHA and the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) had studied the issue and decided blind boxes need formal oversight.
The whole topic came up after Hougang MP Dennis Tan asked whether companies should be forced to reveal the odds of getting rare items, similar to how some countries handle loot boxes. Shanmugam said that yes, the idea of standardised, mandatory disclosure will be part of the discussion.
Growing debate over trading cards
This comes after an increase in calls on whether trading cards, like Pokémon booster packs, should face stricter checks. People have been pointing out that these packs work a lot like blind boxes as you’d have to pay for a sealed pack and hope you hit something valuable, even though the odds are stacked toward common cards.
In a Forum letter published on The Straits Times on 23 February, a reader highlighted that while trading cards are meant to be fun collectibles, the “chase” for rare pulls can push buyers into behaviour that feels a bit like gambling.
The writer argued that regulators shouldn’t just look at what these products are called, but whether their value is really driven by luck, and whether kids need better protections from that.
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: 25yo S’porean Man Arrested for Pokémon Trading Card Scam After Victims Lose Over ~RM400k
