M'sian man brings S$300,000 into S'pore to gamble, doesn't declare it because it's troublesome, fined S$10,000

A Malaysian man was found entering Singapore without declaring the S$300,000 cash he brought to gamble at the Marina Bay Sands casino.

He claimed that the money was winnings previously accumulated from gambling, which he found troublesome to declare at customs, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Chan Wai Hoo and his wife were driving into Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint with the money on Nov. 7, 2024, when they were stopped by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer for a routine check.

When the officer asked if they had anything to declare, Chan produced a letter from Marina Bay Sands dated Mar. 22, 2024, stating that Chan had won a total of S$347,800 at the casino between Nov. 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024.

Chan then showed the officer the suitcase with the money.

Investigations later revealed that there were six other times in 2023 and 2024 when he had entered or left Singapore carrying more than S$25,000 without declaring it.

In August 2025, Chan was handed seven charges for not giving a full and accurate report to an authorised officer on the movement of cash exceeding S$20,000, according to charge sheets seen by Mothership.

He was ultimately fined S$10,000, according to Shin Min.

Travellers carrying over S$20,000 in cash must declare it when entering or leaving Singapore. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to S$50,000, jail for up to three years, or both.

Lied because he was nervous

After he was caught at Tuas Checkpoint, Chan claimed that a manager at the Marina Bay Sands casino told him he did not need to declare his cash to the authorities as long as he showed them the letter, Shin Min reported.

Later, when he gave his statement, he admitted that the manager had never said such a thing.

Instead, he decided not to declare the cash at customs because he felt that it was a hassle.

Chan also initially lied about his previous offences.

When he was asked during investigations if he had previously brought over S$20,000 in cash or out of Singapore but failed to declare it, he stated that he and his wife had only brought S$10,000 or S$15,000 each time they came to Singapore.

The authorities uncovered the truth when they checked Chan's casino deposit account against ICA records, and found that there were multiple deposits and withdrawals of sums over S$20,000 from the account when he entered and exited Singapore in the past.

At court on Oct. 2, he admitted to one of his seven charges and pleaded for leniency, according to Shin Min.

Chan's lawyer told the court that Chan had lied about the casino manager and did not declare the cash accurately because he was nervous and did not think carefully.

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