The taking of action in Singapore in relation to a gambling debt incurred in casinos out of jurisdiction is the subject of a number of significant cases in the Singapore courts over the last 15 years or so. The casinos that have tested the matter in Singapore include Caesars Palace (Las Vegas), Burswood (Australia) and Star Cruises. Several of the cases have reached the highest court, the Court of Appeal, which decisions are binding. It is such an involved public policy area that there was a difference of opinion by the last two Chief Justices, where the latter Chief Justice criticised the decision of the earlier Chief Justice as “unsound”. This is an extremely rare criticism at the Court of Appeal of its own past decision. However, since the criticism is only obiter, the earlier decision actually remains binding. We now a relatively new Chief Justice who may have his own opinion on the matter. As you can imagine, the presence of two casinos in Singapore adds to the debate.
The bottom line is that while there are certain routes to taking action in Singapore that are probably closed, there is a route that can be taken that remains open for a definitive ruling by the Singapore courts, which if taken will likely lead an appeal to the Court of Appeal for a final ruling. Essentially the route is that foreign judgments can be enforced in Singapore - unlike what you say about Thailand not recognising foreign judgments - subject to some provisos including whether it offends public policy.
It may be significant that the action to recover is not directed at the player, but the junket operator.
It will be inherently impossible for a case taken up to be rated as a good one, but if the client is prepared to invest in an action to test the point, it is available.
We feel that it is important for the client to be more fully advised on the state of the law and procedures available in Singapore so as to be in a position to make a considered decision as to whether to commence an action in Singapore. To such purpose, we would be happy to provide an opinion at the cost of approximately S$5,500 (excluding tax and disbursements).
If the client would like to proceed, please let us have:
1. The names of the junket operators (for our conflict checks), their nationalities and identification document details;
2. More information on the kind of assets that are believed to be in Singapore;
3. Any contractual documents with the junket operators (preferably in English or translated into English) including the cheques.
I trust the foregoing is of assistance and we look forward to receiving further instructions.