14 out of 24 people arrested over alleged unlicensed payment services to Marina Bay Sands casino patrons
A total of 24 people are under investigation for suspected unlicensed payment services to patrons at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino.
Among them, 14 were arrested and 13 charged in court, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
Police conduct raid at Marina Bay Sands casino from 5-6 Sept
In a news release on Friday (6 Sept), SPF said a multi-agency enforcement operation was conducted at the MBS casino on 5 and 6 Sept.
It was led by the Central Police Division and supported by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Commercial Affairs Department, and partners from MBS.
During the raid, officers seized more than S$190,000 worth of casino chips and cash, as well as an array of electronic devices.
Source: Singapore Police Force
24 allegedly provided unlicensed services to Marina Bay Sands casino patrons
The police also found, after preliminary investigations, that 24 individuals in the casino were allegedly providing unlicensed services to casino patrons.
These services included:
- foreign currency exchanges
- remittances
- buying or selling of casino chips
The person included 17 men and seven women aged between 27 and 58.
13 charged over providing unlicensed services Marina Bay Sands
Eventually, 14 out of the 24 individuals were arrested to further assist with police investigations.
13 of them were charged in court on Saturday (7 Sept).
All the 13 are Chinese nationals, reported The Straits Times (ST). They were named as Li Shaozhuang, 33, Liu Jie, 32, Ouyang Peng, 32, Guan Xianchi, 27, Zhang Jie, 43, Song Yang, 40, Zhu Xiaomei, 58, Li Jia Wei, 41, Xiong Chuanwei, 41, Luo Saihua, 49, Xu Min, 38, Hou Bo, 43, and Zhang Xiaoguang, 30.
They allegedly illegally offered to exchange Singapore currency for Chinese yuan, or vice versa, and were charged with one count each of providing an illegal payment service.
SPF takes ‘zero-tolerance approach’ towards illegal activities
Those found guilty of providing payment services without a licence under Section 5 of the Payment Services Act 2019 may be fined up to S$125,000 and/or jailed for up to three years.
Offenders convicted of using chips for purposes other than playing games or tipping in the casino-operated premises may be fined up to S$10,000 and/or jailed up to 12 months, under Regulation 9 of the Casino Control (Conduct of Gaming) Regulations 2009.
Assistant Commissioner Ang Boon Sheng Jeremy, Commander of Central Police Division, thanked the agencies involved, including MBS, for their support in working closely to clamp down on illicit casino activities.
SPF warned that it takes a “zero-tolerance approach” towards illegal activities and “will take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law”.
Also read: Gambler Pays MBS Casino Dealers To Spin Roulette Wheel In His Favour, Gets 28 Weeks’ Jail
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force.
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