RWS staff member fined for misleading authorities

SINGAPORE — A second Resorts World Sentosa staff has been fined S$20,000 for providing misleading information to the Casino Regulatory Authority. Sim Bee Ling, 31, had committed the offence between May and June 2011.

At the time of the offence, the Malaysian was a director of VIP services and reported to 44-year-old Albert Lim Tze Chean, who was heading the department. The two managed patrons in the high-limit gaming area in the RWS casino.

In February 2011, RWS decided it would issue complimentary tickets to the Universal Studios Singapore (USS) theme park for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents who renewed their annual entry levies to the casino. This was to be described in entries as “service recovery”.

Under the law, casino operators cannot refund or reimburse patrons for the entry levy, whether directly or indirectly, and the casino was thus under investigations by authorities.

Sim was instructed to apply correction fluid over relevant entries relating to the issuance of the USS tickets.

In sentencing, District Judge Liew Thiam Leng said the offence was “serious”, but he noted that Sim did not benefit from it. He said Sim, who is now working in the hotel side of RWS, committed the offence not because she was evading personal responsibilities.

Thus, the judge said a fine will suffice.

In early November, Albert Lim Tze Chean was the first to be dealt with for providing misleading information to the authorities and destroying evidence. He was fined S$100,000 for breaching the Casino Control Act on three counts.

Lim and Sim are two of three individuals charged in September last year for similar offences.

The third is Lee Poh Yee, then senior vice-president of gaming services.

The three were charged after the integrated resort was fined S$600,000 for breaching social safeguards against problem gambling, by partially reimbursing the annual entry levy paid by about 3,400 local casino patrons. CHANNEL NEWSASIA