On Tuesday (6 Dec), officers from various law-enforcement agencies arrested 20 individuals for their suspected involvement in unlawful remote betting.
This came after raids conducted islandwide, including in heartland estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, and Punggol.
This led to the arrest of 20 people suspected to be involved in conducting unlawful remote betting operations.
During the operation, officers seized electronic devices, documents, and cash amounting to over S$118,000.
Source: Singapore Police Force
70 bank accounts were also frozen for investigations and to prevent the dissipation of suspected criminal proceeds.
According to a press release on Wednesday (7 Dec), the police arrested 19 men and one woman.
The individuals, aged between 24 and 78, were arrested for their suspected involvement in conducting unlawful remote betting operations.
These arrests came after simultaneous raids carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Police Intelligence Department (PID), and Special Operations Command (SOC).
The raids took place in:
During the operation, officers also seized cash amounting to more than S$118,000.
They also confiscated gambling-related documents as well as electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones,
Besides that, the police also froze 70 related bank accounts. This is to prevent the dissipation of suspected criminal proceeds as well as for investigations.
Of the 20 individuals, three men – identified as Ng Boon Chye, Leonard Lim Jin Ping, and Tan Tianlai Celestine – were charged in court on Wednesday (7 Dec).
They were each given one count of conducting unlawful gambling operations, reported The Straits Times (ST).
26-year-old Ng allegedly managed an account on an illegal gambling website. The account entered about S$47,000 in 4D bets.
Lim reportedly received illegal football bets. The 29-year-old allegedly collected punters’ bets and passed them on to runners of a betting agent.
Meanwhile, 40-year-old Tan allegedly accepted about S$80,000 in bets through an illegal gambling website.
The three individuals were remanded and will return to court on 14 Dec.
Under the Gambling Control Act 2022, individuals who gamble with an unlawful gambling service provide face up to six months’ jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
Those guilty of operating illegal gambling services can find themselves behind bars for up to seven years along with a fine of up to S$500,000.
The offence of being involved in conducting an unlawful betting operation as an agent comes with a punishment of up to five years’ jail and a fine not exceeding S$200,000.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force.
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