27 men and four women, aged between 45 and 78, were arrested for their suspected involvement in illegal horse betting activities via an islandwide operation conducted on 7 October 2018.
In a press release on Tuesday (9 October), the Singapore Police Force revealed that officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the six Police land divisions conducted raids at multiple locations including King George’s Avenue, Teban Gardens Road, Whampoa Drive, Ang Mo Kio, Eunos and Boon Lay, resulting in the arrests.
According to the police, during the operation, cash amounting to about S$15,000/-, mobile phones, pens, pagers and documents such as betting records were also seized.
Police stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the 31 suspects are believed to have been involved in various roles, including illegal bookmakers, runners as well as gamblers.
Investigation against the suspects are ongoing.
Under the Betting Act, any person who bets with a bookmaker shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.
Any person who is found to be involved in bookmaking shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than $20,000 and not more than $200,000, and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
The police stressed that it takes a serious view against all forms of illegal betting activities and will continue to take tough enforcement action against those involved, regardless of their roles. Members of the public are advised to steer clear of all forms of illegal gambling activities.
