Singapore is considering restricting the sales of blind boxes, with regulations currently being drafted that will affect which kinds of blind boxes will be available locally to better manage gambling inducement risks.
As reported by The Straits Times, this news stems from a written reply by Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on 12 February 2026 to a parliamentary question raised by Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang SMC Dennis Tan on whether the government will introduce measures to standardise the disclosure of odds and probability ranges for such products.
According to Shanmugam, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) have studied the issue and have decided to introduce regulations, although they are currently being drafted, so nothing is set in stone yet.
Blind boxes, also known as “gacha” products, are mystery boxes which contain a random collectible within, such as figurines, plush toys or other accessories. Buyers purchase these products without knowing which collectible they will get, with the item pool often including rarer “pull” items with a lower probability of being attained.
While there are currently no laws in Singapore targeting blind boxes, the products have already been a point of contention overseas, with countries like China already banning blind boxes from being sold to children under the age of eight to avoid potential addiction.
With blind boxes spanning a vast number of IPs like Pop Mart’s Labubu and Japan’s Mofusand, with even household names like FairPrice and KFC hopping on the bandwagon with mystery boxes to celebrate occasions such as Chinese New Year, it does seem like a tall order to implement these regulations on a wide scale.
Additionally, implementing restrictions for blind boxes poses the question of whether all probability-based collectibles, such as trading cards like Magic: The Gathering or the Pokémon TCG, will also be regulated in the future. Is this the beginning of the end for blind boxes in Singapore? Only time will tell, but considering how lucrative the market is, this is certainly one decision that wouldn’t be made lightly.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
