Betting Act 1960 - Singapore Statutes Online

Offences relating to common betting houses and betting information centres

3.—(1) Any person who —

(a)	being the owner or occupier, or having the use temporarily or otherwise thereof, keeps or uses a place as a common betting house or betting information centre;
(b)	permits a place of which he is the owner or occupier or of which he has the use temporarily or otherwise, to be kept or used as a common betting house or betting information centre;
(c)	has the care or management of or in any manner assists in the management or in the business of, a place kept or used as a common betting house or betting information centre;
(d)	receives directly or indirectly any money or valuable thing, for or in respect of any bet or wager on any such event or contingency, as is mentioned in this Act, in a common betting house or betting information centre; or
(e)	announces, exhibits or publishes, or causes to be announced, exhibited or published, either orally or by means of any letter, circular, telegram, placard, handbill, card, print, writing, design, sign, advertisement or otherwise that a place is opened, kept or used as a common betting house or betting information centre in Singapore or elsewhere, or in any other manner invites or solicits any person to commit a breach of any of the provisions of this Act,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than $20,000 and not more than $200,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.

(2) Subsection (1)(e) shall not apply to —

(a)	the Singapore Totalisator Board;
(b)	any totalisator agency appointed by the Singapore Totalisator Board; and
(c)	any agent appointed by the Singapore Totalisator Board to operate or conduct any totalisator, lottery, betting or gaming activity.

(3) Any person who occupies or has the use temporarily of a place which is kept or used by another person as a common betting house or betting information centre shall be presumed until the contrary is proved to have permitted that place to be so kept or used.

Betting in a common betting house

5.—(1) Except as permitted by an exemption under section 22, any person who bets or wagers in a common betting house, or with a bookmaker in any place or by any means, or who for the purpose of betting or wagering loiters in any place to which the public has or may have access shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(2) A person found in a common betting house, or found escaping therefrom on the occasion of its being entered under this Act shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, to be or to have been betting or wagering therein.

(3) Any person who —

(a)	acts as a bookmaker in any place;
(b)	for the purpose of bookmaking or settling bets loiters in any common betting house or in any place to which the public has or may have access; or
(c)	assists, by giving warning or otherwise, any person committing an offence under this Act to evade arrest or detection,

(4) When any person is convicted of an offence under this section, all books, accounts, documents, telegrams, writings, circulars, cards or other articles used as a subject or means of betting or wagering, or in connection therewith, and all moneys or securities for money found in his possession which a Magistrate’s Court or District Court is of opinion were used or intended to be used for betting or wagering shall be declared by that Court to be forfeited to the State and shall be dealt with accordingly.

(5) An offence under subsection (3) shall be a non‑bailable arrestable offence and any person making an arrest for such an offence may seize and detain any articles liable to be forfeited.

(6) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 93 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 a police officer shall have power to release on bail a person accused of an offence under subsection (3).

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