Singapore court rejects Venetian Macau debt claim
The Singapore High Court has blocked Venetian Macau from enforcing a Hong Kong judgment against a VIP gambler.
Singapore.- The Singapore High Court has rejected Venetian Macau Ltd’s attempt to enforce a HKD 19.35 m (US$2.5m) Hong Kong judgment against VIP gambler Hu Yangning. Judge Philip Jeyaretnam ruled that using Singapore courts to recover gambling debts incurred overseas would breach the country’s public policy.
Hu, a Singaporean businesswoman, had played at Marina Bay Sands before being introduced to The Venetian Macao in 2011. She continued gambling at the Sands China property until 2024. In November 2023, she signed a credit agreement for up to HKD 1 m, along with a promissory note. With the debt still unpaid in March 2025, a Hong Kong court ordered her to pay HKD 19.35m, plus 18 per cent annual interest from October 29, 2024 and legal costs.
Venetian Macau registered the judgment in Singapore and obtained an order to seize and sell Hu’s property. However, although the High Court rejected her arguments concerning notice, fraud and the Hong Kong court’s jurisdiction, it overturned the registration on public policy grounds.
Under Section 5(2) of Singapore’s Civil Law Act 1909, gambling and wagering contracts are generally unenforceable. An exception under the Casino Control Act 2006 allows Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa to extend and recover gaming credit, but the court noted that this does not apply to foreign casino operators.
Venetian Macau argued that Hu’s promissory note was a separate negotiable instrument. Justice Jeyaretnam rejected that argument, finding that the note was inseparable from the credit arrangement. It said that foreign casinos can pursue their claims in other jurisdictions, but that Singapore courts cannot be used to enforce overseas gambling debts.
