China warns citizens against gambling in Singapore

Citing violations of Chinese laws controlling offshore gaming, the Chinese embassy in Singapore has strongly advised its citizens to abstain from all forms of gambling during their visit.

This warning, which was made public on Monday, comes as Beijing is stepping up its efforts to target Chinese nationals who operate gambling businesses in Southeast Asia, a popular travel destination.

The embassy stressed the importance of Chinese residents in Singapore knowing the law and abstaining from gaming in their statement. Singapore is home to two casinos: Genting Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands.

The embassy issued a warning that playing games online might result in fraud, money laundering, kidnapping, jail time, trafficking, and smuggling, among other problems. Recent threats were similar, albeit not quite as extensive, from Chinese embassies in Sri Lanka and South Korea.

An agreement to waive reciprocal visa requirements was struck in January between China and Singapore, and it will go into effect on February 9 of this year. A total of 327,000 Chinese visitors arrived in Singapore last month, making up 30% of all foreign arrivals, according to data from the Singapore Tourism Board.

Original story by: Asia Gaming Brief