Singapore - Casinos fined for breaching social safeguard requirements

SINGAPORE: A hawker who hit the jackpot at the casino at Marina Bay Sands last year did win a car instead of about $400,000 in cash.

The Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) said on Wednesday that its investigations showed that there was no deliberate intention by the operator to deceive or deprive the patron of her prize, which should have been a car.

In October last year, Madam Choo Hong Eng hit the jackpot at Marina Bay Sands casino.

She had insisted she saw the word cash on the screen. But the casino said then that the machine had malfunctioned.

It offered her a sports car worth more than a quarter of a million dollars and $50,000 in cash instead.

But Madam Choo refused the offer.

After a legal tussle, she received her winnings of $416,000 a month later.

The Casino Regulatory Authority said what should have been shown on the screen is a car as that was what she won.

For that, Marina Bay Sands has been censured for failing to ensure a winning message was accurately displayed on the jackpot machine.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Casino Regulatory Authority said Singapore's two casino operators have been fined a total of $497,500 for breaching social safeguard requirements between May and October last year.

The fines are higher than those seen in the previous round of disciplinary action by the CRA.

Marina Bay Sands was fined $255,000 for breaches between 28 October 2010 and 30 April 2011 and Resorts World at Sentosa fined $130,000 for breaches between 15 August 2010 and 30 April 2011.

There were lapses where social safeguards are concerned for the two casinos.

Marina Bay Sands was fined $357,500.

While the other operator Resorts World Sentosa was fined $140,000.

The operators had allowed citizens and permanent residents to enter the casino without valid entry levies.

Some with expired entry levies were also allowed to remain in the casinos.

Those with exclusion orders are prohibited to enter the casinos. But 19 persons who had exclusion orders entered Marina Bay Sands, and four entered Resorts World Sentosa.

Those under 21 are also not allowed to enter. But Resorts World Sentosa had allowed five of them through.

The operator has been fined for two of the cases and censured for the other three.

Responding to Channel NewsAsia, Resorts World Sentosa says it takes the lapses seriously and will continue to fine tune its entry systems and processes.

While Marina Bay Sands says it remains committed to comply with the rules and regulations of the authority.

- CNA/cc/de

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