Singapore is not banning blind boxes, says MHA amid push for regulation

Singapore will not be banning blind boxes, including trading card game (TCG) products, even as it moves ahead with planned regulations to address gambling-related risks.

In a written parliamentary reply on 7 May 2026, coordinating minister for national security and minister for home affairs K. Shanmugam said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will introduce details of proposed blind box regulations later this year.

The upcoming rules will also cover trading card games, with the ministry currently engaging industry stakeholders.

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While confirming that the regulations aim to mitigate the gambling inducement risk associated with blind boxes, Shanmugam was clear that authorities do not intend to require retailers to open sealed packs and sell contents as individually identified items.

“That would effectively ban blind boxes,” he said in response to a parliamentary question, adding that any safeguards introduced will need to be proportionate to the level of risk posed by the product.

In a February this year, Singapore had already been moving towards tighter oversight of blind box sales, with regulators studying issues such as disclosure of odds for “gacha”-style products (referring to a virtual 'pull' mechanism).

At the time, Shanmugam said the regulations were being drafted after review by the ministry and the Gambling Regulatory Authority, with concerns centred on how chance-based mechanics could encourage risk-taking behaviour among younger consumers if left unchecked.

The broader market context reflects why scrutiny is rising. Blind boxes have become a major cultural and commercial force across Asia Pacific, with China accounting for more than 60% of global blind box toy demand and a large majority of young consumers having purchased them at least once.

Similar traction has been seen in Japan and South Korea, where anime-driven intellectual property and vending machine culture have fuelled adoption.

Against this backdrop, industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to then, had warned that while blind boxes remain a powerful engagement tool for marketers, their reliance on chance, scarcity and surprise requires careful calibration.

The challenge, they noted, is preserving the appeal of discovery without crossing into mechanics that could raise consumer protection concerns or dilute long-term brand trust.

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