Singapore police officers arrested 10 punters from their gambling dens. The officials seized their computer, which was the main medium of their illegal activity, and a huge amount of cash.
Police launched the operation at around midnight on Friday, March 23. They arrested seven men and three women, aged between 44 and 64, under the Common Gambling House Act.
The operation took place on Petain Road and Jalan Besar Road, from where police found 27 computers and a total cash of $5,469. Police ssaid that further investigation is underway.
However, in some places like Petain Road, gambling through table games and cards are not allowed. Gamblers use the online platform to try their luck at jackpot games.
Usually, closed-circuit television cameras have installed the entrance of the gambling dens, to keep an eye on outsiders.
Reports said that police arrested nine people, including a 58-year-old man, who operates the den at Petain Road for illegal gambling offences.
The place was under surveillance for weeks after intelligence suspected an illegal activity and local residents also complained about the gambling den.
Police raided the Jalan Besar area when the operator was about to close the shop at around 1 am. Except for the 64-year-old operator, no one was arrested.
Under the Common Gambling House Act, any person who:
(a) being the owner or occupier or having the user temporarily or otherwise thereof keeps or uses a place as a common gaming house; or
(b) permits a place of which he is owner or occupier or of which he has the user temporarily or otherwise to be kept or used by another person as common gaming house; or
(c) has the care or management of or in any manner assists in the management of a place kept or used as a common gaming house or assists in carrying on a public lottery; or
(d) receives directly or indirectly any money or money's worth for or in respect of any change in or event or contingency connected with the public lottery or sells or offers for sale or gives or delivers any lottery ticket; or
(e) draws, throws, declares or exhibits expressly or otherwise the winner or winning number ticket, a lot, figure, design, symbol or another result of any public lottery; or
(f) writes, prints or publishes, or causes to be written, printed or published, any lottery ticket or list of prizes or any announcement of the result of a public lottery or any announcement or riddle relating to a public lottery; or
(g) announces, publishes or causes to be announced or published, either orally or by means of any print, writing, design, sign or otherwise that any place is opened, kept or used as a common gaming house or in any other manner invites or solicits any person to commit a breach of section 6or 9,
-- shall be guilty of an offence leading to a minimum penalty of a fine of $20,000 and imprisonment for 12 months.
