Singapore: 8 charged for illegal remote gambling

They were arrested in 2020.

Singapore.- Police have filed charges against eight people, aged between 25 and 65, for suspected involvement in an organised criminal group engaged in illegal remote gambling. They were arrested during an operation focused on criminal syndicates on September 7, 2020. six men and one woman had already been charged on September 8, 2020, for violations of the Remote Gambling Act 2014 (RGA).

On October 25, two of the male suspects were charged and one was scheduled to be charged on October 26. These charges relate to offences under the Organised Crime Act 2015 (OCA) as well as violations of the RGA.

The remaining five suspects are due to face charges on October 30 for violations under both the OCA and RGA. A 65-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman will face additional charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA).

Under the RGA, those providing unlawful remote gambling services can face fines ranging from SG$20,000 to SG$200,000, imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both. The OCA considers it an offence to be a member of an organised criminal group, with potential penalties of fines up to SG$100,000, imprisonment for a maximum of five years, or both. 

See also: Singapore financial sector under scrutiny for gambling-related money laundering