Singapore police have arrested a total of 21 people for gambling offences, in a case made public on Wednesday. The detentions followed a joint enforcement operation against illegal gambling involving officers respectively from Bedok Police Division, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and the Ministry of Manpower.
The arrests were made during a raid earlier this month at a venue that had allegedly been operating as an illegal gambling den, said an official statement.
The police arrested five men and 16 women, aged 35 to 77, for alleged offences under Singapore’s Gambling Control Act, added the statement. One of the people is also being investigated for working without a valid government permit.
More than SGD83,000 (US$ 62,630) in cash, and gambling paraphernalia (pictured in a police handout), were seized during the operation.
Under Singapore’s Gambling Control Act, any person found organising, managing, or assisting in managing or organising an unlawful gambling place is liable to a fine of up to SGD200,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
Persons found to be conducting betting operations, gaming, or lotteries unlawfully, shall be liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding SGD200,000 or to imprisonment of up to five years.