Police bust illegal gambling den in Geylang
AsiaOne
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013
Police have arrested 17 persons, 12 men and 5 women, aged between 28 and 73, for assisting in operating and gaming in an illegal gambling den in Geylang which masqueraded as an association. Three of them were also arrested for entering Singapore illegally and overstaying.
In a 5-hour joint-operation which started at about 11 pm on January 29, 2013, officers from both Bedok Police Division and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) raided the association located along Geylang Road, and arrested the 17 suspects.
Preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects was assisting in operating the said association as an illegal gambling den, while the rest were gambling den patrons.
Amongst these patrons, three suspects were also arrested for entering Singapore illegally and overstaying. Four mahjong tables, four decks of poker cards and gambling chips were seized as case exhibits. Investigations against all seventeen suspects are on-going.
Any person found guilty of assisting to manage a place used as a common gaming house under Section 4(1) (c) of the Common Gaming Houses Act, shall be fined not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000 and may also be jailed for up to three years.
As for the players, any person convicted of an offence of Gaming in a Common Gaming House under Section 7 of the Common Gaming Houses Act, may face a fine of up to $5,000 or jail of up to 6 months, or to both.
The ICA takes a serious view of attempts to overstay, enter or depart Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane, while the penalties for illegal departure is a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.
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