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Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth
Parliamentary Matters

Measures taken to deter the use of bots for booking of sports facilities

Sectors

Sports

4 July 2023

Response to parliamentary question on measures taken by ActiveSG to strengthen their software system to reduce the use of bots and whether more stringent deterrents can be used.

Oral PQ 4763. Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth regarding the use of bots to book sports facilities through ActiveSG accounts (a) what measures has ActiveSG taken to strengthen their software system to reduce such instances of public bookings; and (b) whether more stringent deterrents can be used besides suspending or terminating the user accounts of repeat offenders.

  1. The Government takes a serious view of the use of bots to book sports facilities and on-selling activities. SportSG has adopted a number of enhanced measures to combat these practices.

  2. First, SportSG has enhanced its online booking system, including using a Web Application Firewall and upgrading its reCAPTCHA software to better identify bots and prevent them from making bookings.

  3. Second, SportSG has increased its efforts to identify and take action against ActiveSG members who abuse the booking system via scripting and on-selling. Daily booking records, social platforms and activity logs are scanned regularly and enforcement measures put in place at the sports centres to ensure that facility hirers are present throughout their booking period.

  4. Third, SportSG has suspended more than 270 scripters and 180 on-seller accounts over the past two years. To further deter these activities, harsher penalties have been introduced from 1 July this year. First-time offenders will now have their accounts suspended for up to six months, an increase from the current three months, while a second infringement will result in a permanent termination of the account, rather than a six-month suspension. All members have since been informed and this has also been reported in the media.

  5. With the measures that SportSG has put in place, the volume of feedback regarding the use of bots and on-selling has reduced significantly. As offenders may use improved bot technologies to try to circumvent our safeguards, we will continue to enhance our systems and adopt best practices for better detection and prevention. We will also not hesitate to employ even stronger penalties against offenders if warranted.

  6. Lastly, we would like to urge all members of public to refrain from purchasing any sports facilities bookings from on-sellers.