Singapura: Singapore remote gambling syndicate busted during Euro football season

Police have busted a remote gambling syndicate believed to have received more than S$200,000 in soccer bets in the past two weeks, in the midst of the ongoing UEFA...

Police have busted a remote gambling syndicate believed to have received more than S$200,000 in soccer bets in the past two weeks, in the midst of the ongoing UEFA European Championship from Jun 10 to Jul 10.

In a news release on Sunday (Jun 26), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted simultaneous raids at various locations in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Orchard Road and Toh Yi Drive on Sunday.

They arrested 12 men, aged between 20 and 52, for their suspected involvement in providing remote gambling services. Cash amounting to about S$251,000, an array of computers, mobile phones and other documents such as betting records were also seized during the operation.

Police investigations are ongoing, the authorities said.

CID Specialised Crime Branch head Lawrence Eng said the police are determined to stamp out unlawful remote gambling, and will persevere with “tough enforcement efforts” against those who flout the law.

“Members of (the) public are advised to resist the temptation of placing bets with illegal bookies and unauthorised operators, especially during the ongoing UEFA Euro 2016,” he added.

Under the Remote Gambling Act 2014, any person convicted of unlawful remote gambling services faces a fine of between S$20,000 and S$200,000, a jail term of up to five years, or both.

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