Environmental Public Health Act

(CHAPTER 95)

(Original Enactment: Act 14 of 1987)

REVISED EDITION 2002

(31st December 2002)

An Act to suppress common betting-houses, betting in public places and bookmaking.

[1st July 1987]

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Betting Act.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In this Act, unless there is something repugnant in the subject or context —

“access” includes access through the telephone, by post or by telegram;

“betting information centre” means any place kept or used for receiving or transmitting by telephone or other means any information relating to any horse-race or other sporting event for the purpose of betting or wagering in contravention of this Act;

“bookmaker” means any person who, whether on his own account or as penciller, runner, employee or agent for any other person, receives or negotiates bets or wagers whether on a cash or on a credit basis and whether for money or money’s worth, or who in any manner holds himself out or permits himself to be held out in any manner as a person who receives or negotiates those bets or wagers; but does not include a club, its officers or employees or any other person or organisation operating or conducting a totalisator or parimutuel or any other system or method of cash or credit betting authorised under section 22;

[13/2004 wef 01/05/2004]

“common betting-house” means —

(a)	any place kept or used for betting or wagering on any event or contingency of or relating to any horse-race or other sporting event to which the public or any class of the public has or may have access;
(b)	any place kept or used for habitual betting or wagering on any such event or contingency as aforesaid, whether the public has, or may have, access thereto or not; and
(c)	any place used by a bookmaker for the purpose of receiving or negotiating bets or wagers on any such event or contingency as aforesaid whether the bets or wagers reach the bookmaker by the hand of the person placing the bet or his agent or the bookmaker’s agent or through the telephone or by post or by telegram or by any other means;

“equipment” has the same meaning as in the Telecommunications Act 1999;

[43/1999 wef 01/12/1999]

“penciller” means a person who helps a bookmaker to keep his accounts or record of bets in connection with horse-races;

“place” means any house, office, room or building, and any place or spot, whether open or enclosed, and includes a ship, boat, or other vessel whether afloat or not, and any vehicle;

“runner” means a person employed by a bookmaker to collect and settle bets either on salary or on commission basis;

“sporting event” includes any race, fight, game, sport or exercise;

“telecommunication system” has the same meaning as in the Telecommunications Act 1999.

[8/86]

[43/1999 wef 01/12/1999]

(2) A place shall be deemed to be used for a purpose if it is used for that purpose on only one occasion.

(3) A place shall be deemed to be used for habitual betting or wagering if betting or wagering is frequently carried on therein, notwithstanding that betting or wagering is not the primary purpose for which that place is normally used.

(4) Every person who demises or lets for hire a place shall be deemed to be the owner thereof.

(5) A common betting-house shall be deemed to be a common nuisance and contrary to law.

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