A Singapore police operation at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino resort on Thursday and Friday resulted in the arrest of 14 people suspected of “unlicensed foreign currency exchange [FX] and remittance activities carried out in casino premises”.
That is according to a Singapore Police Force press release on Friday, which described the operation (pictured in police photo) as a “multi-agency” effort, with support from Marina Bay Sands itself.
The Straits Times newspaper reported on Sunday that 13 of the 14 detained on resort premises were from mainland China. They had allegedly offered Singapore currency in exchange for Chinese yuan, or vice versa, the news outlet stated, citing court documents.
The police update hadn’t specified the respective nationalities of suspects, but said a total of 24 people – 17 men and seven women – ranging in age from 27 and 58, were being investigated following the operation. The 14 arrested had been scheduled to appear in court on Saturday.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the 24 persons in the [Marina Bay Sands] casino were allegedly providing unlicensed services which included foreign currency exchanges, remittances and buying and selling of casino chips to casino patrons,” said the police in the Friday statement.
“During the operation, over SGD190,000 [US$145,843] worth of casino chips and cash and an array of electronic devices were seized,” the police force noted.
The force said that under the country’s Payment Services Act 2019, any individual found guilty of providing unlicensed payment services could face a fine of up to SGD125,000, imprisonment for a term of up to three years, or both.
Anyone that uses casino chips for any purpose other than the “playing of games or tips” in casino premises, faces on conviction a fine not exceeding SGD10,000, or a prison term not exceeding 12 months, or both, the Singapore police also noted, citing the the Casino Control (Conduct of Gaming) Regulations 2009.
