Just days after the casino opening in Singapore there have been several arrests

Just days after the first casino in Singapore opened its doors and already 8 people have been arrested reflecting the no nonsense approach by police and government. The issuing of Singapore’s first license was reported in our previous article and the casino opened its doors in time for the Chinese New Year on Sunday. The casino is part of Resort Worlds Sentosa complex which includes many attractions and according to media reports despite being very busy the opening went smoothly except at the casino that is. Paulus Djohar, a 49 year old Indonesian who arrived as a tourist was arrested at Changi airport after trying to steal a mobile phone from a woman after he had lost all his money (believed to be around $1000) at the casino. In another case a Mongolian 18 year old was arrested after trying to enter the casino on another person’s passport (the minimum age requirement is 21) and could face up to 5 years in prison for impersonation. The most common crime however was the attempted avoidance of the $100 entry fee which has been levied for Singapore residents and citizens to try to discourage lower income individuals from entering; 5 people caught could face fines of up to $1000 making it a very expensive day out. It seems the warnings about strict enforcement of regulations are being carried through.