AN Indonesian member of an illegal betting syndicate operating at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino has been jailed for four months and fined S$50,000.
The odd-job labourer known to the Singaporean authorities only as ‘Ricki’, pleaded guilty to two charges of bookmaking.
The 26-year-old was one of a five-member syndicate who approached patrons at MBS between April and June this year, offering them chances at making side bets on games going on there.
These illegal side bets, called ‘insurance bets’ were made available in Paiza Room 801, where baccarat was the game of choice.
Their activities were caught on closed-circuit televisions in June by officers from the Casino Crime Investigation Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department. So far, three of the five members, including ‘Ricki’, have been arrested.
Items seized from them included more than S$46,000 in casino chips, S$78,000 in cash and a cheque for S$100,000.