Tanzanian Player Given Two-Year Sentence for Cheating in Singapore

Posted: August 19, 2010

Updated: October 4, 2017

You'd think that, with the reputation Singapore has for strict law enforcement, people might not try to mess around at the newly-opened

You’d think that, with the reputation Singapore has for strict law enforcement, people might not try to mess around at the newly-opened casinos there. Apparently one tourist didn’t consider this while vacationing in Singapore and now he’ll be serving two years in prison for trying to cheat at roulette.

On Monday, a Singapore court sentenced Kipuyo Lemburis Israel of Tanzania, 35, to two years in prison. Israel pled guilty in May to cheating by managing to sneak in extra bets after the winning number on a roulette spin had been determined at the Marina Bay Sands casino. Once again, a casino managed to catch a criminal type due to greed: A local news outlet reported that Israel “was caught after he used the same method repeatedly to increase his winnings.”

By managing to “win” SG $126,000 (over $92,000), Israel earned the longest prison sentence yet handed down since the two new casinos opened this year.

No newswires have yet reported on Israel’s reasoning for attempting to cheat in Singapore, as back home, Tanzanian gambling laws are highly permissive and allow gambling of all sorts. (Perhaps the would-be huckster figured the Singaporeans would be inexperienced or that there simply wasn’t enough cash at casino in Tanzania.) Dozens of operators offer online casinos in Tanzania as well.