SINGAPORE – Following an operation at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino, 14 people were arrested for allegedly providing unlicensed services like the buying and selling of casino chips to patrons.
Thirteen of them were Chinese nationals who were charged on Sept 7 with one count each of providing an illegal payment service.
On Sept 6, the police said 24 people, aged between 27 and 58, were being investigated following the operation on Sept 5 and Sept 6.
It was led by the Central Police Division and supported by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Commercial Affairs Department and MBS staff.
The 17 men and seven women under investigation were allegedly providing unlicensed services which also included foreign currency exchanges and remittances.
During the operation, more than $190,000 worth of casino chips and cash, and several electronic devices were seized, the police said.
Those charged on Sept 7 were Li Shaozhuang, 33, Liu Jie, 32, Ouyang Peng, 32, Guan Xianchi, 27, Zhang Jie, 43, Song Yang, 40, Zhu Xiaomei, 58, Li Jia Wei, 41, Xiong Chuanwei, 41, Luo Saihua, 49, Xu Min, 38, Hou Bo, 43, and Zhang Xiaoguang, 30.
According to court documents, they had allegedly illegally offered Singapore currency in exchange for Chinese yuan, or vice versa.
Their next court date is Sept 13.
If convicted of carrying on a business of providing payment services without a licence, they can be fined up to $125,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.