A number to raise eyebrows, an enormous success for the authorities in Singapore as an astounding S$1.2 million was seized in successful gambling syndicate raid linked to an illegal syndicate.

Furthermore, leading to 28 arrests in connection with the gambling syndicate, the activities behind the gang included 4D, TOTO, and horse betting services done on a remote basis. 

Comprising of one woman and 27 men, the arrests and amount of cash seized as a result becomes one of the biggest successes the police have ever had in the face of combating illegal gambling.

This is the second time this month, the Singaporean authorities have taken down a gambling syndicate after we reported that a family-run gambling syndicate was taken down in an unrelated incident.

Large scale raid pulling out all the stops

Ending up with some astonishing results, of course, needed the manpower in order to pull it off, and with 180 officers in total, there were definitely enough hands on the wheel to get a real result.

The grand scale of the raid took place over several locations including Tampines, Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, and Yishun. 

In addition to confiscating the cash, other items including mobile phones and computers were also seized during the raid to gather evidence of the organised crime. Taking it even further, the Singapore police also froze all the bank accounts belonging to the suspects in order to follow a paper trail before there was a chance to make the funds disappear.

Conducting the raids at the same time, factions involved in the raid were from the Criminal Investigation Department, the Police Intelligence Department, and the Special Operations Command.

Honing in on the illegal activity

Investigation work was underway for some considerable time before the raid was executed, with reports indicating that the illegal runnings of the business largely took place on mobile phone messaging apps and on various online betting websites.

Many processes are still underway to inspect the scale of the operations behind the scenes, however, six of the men involved have already had their court dates.

If they are found guilty of acting illegally within the gambling operations, each of them could be faced with a fine of between S$20,000 to S$200,000 and a jail sentence of anywhere up to five years apiece.

Laws of Gambling in Singapore

Although gaming is fairly common in Singapore, the laws of the country clearly state that gambling in public or the operation of gambling dens is illegal. The Remote Gambling Act came into effect in 2014 to ban online gaming such as poker and horse betting, however, there are two forms of gambling which have exemption which are Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club. 

Although these forms are essentially legal, there are a great number of players working around the laws and bending the rules, resulting in illegal gambling methods which mean more work for the authorities to keep Singapore laws strictly upheld.   

Cracking down on the illegal gambling acts is a constant fight for the police and authorities of Singapore, but this result has brought a huge boost to the departments and the efforts to stamp out organised crime.