Billionaire Peter Lim’s Son-In-Law Charged in Court for Remote Gambling

  • Kho Bin Kai is alleged to have facilitated the operation of an illegal online gambling service
  • His case has been adjourned until October 8
  • Could face further charges depending on what evidence is found on a number of mobiles
  • Faces a fine of up to S$200,000 ($144,000) and a maximum of five years in prison
Man holding bars in prison cell.
Kho Bin Kai, the son-in-law of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, faces up to five years in prison for allegedly facilitating remote online gambling. [Image: Shutterstock]

Further charges could follow

Kho Bin Kai, the son-in-law of Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, has been granted bail after being charged with one count of facilitating remote gambling on July 30.

The Independent News reports that 29-year-old Kho allegedly assisted in remote gambling between July 15 and July 27. He was reportedly acting on instructions from someone the authorities are referring to as “Ah Leong”.

acting on instructions from someone the authorities are referring to as “Ah Leong”

Kho is said to have created an account on a website with the username “KBT12” for an individual named Tan Chun Yong. According to the allegations, this account was being used for the operation of an online gambling service. 

There are eight other people facing charges in relation to this case, which has been adjourned until October 8. This adjournment is to allow the police to forensically examine a number of mobile devices.

Further charges could be levied against Kho, depending on what evidence is found on these mobile devices. His bail was set at S$25,000 ($18,000). 

Background of both men

In his professional life, Kho has a role in an engineering business, as well as in an educator center. He has been involved in about 12 businesses from 2014 to 2019, most of which were in the food and beverage trade. It was in February 2017 that he married Kim Lim, the daughter of Peter Lim.

Billionaire Peter Lim is a 66-year-old with a net worth of around $2.5bn. He is the owner of Valencia CF in Spain. Lim also owns a 40% share of Salford City, a League Two club in England.

Gambling laws in Singapore

The Remote Gambling Act of 2014 sets out the laws relating to online gambling in Singapore.

Those found guilty of using remote communication to gamble or of using an online gambling site that is not licensed in Singapore can be sentenced to six months in prison, fined S$5,000 ($3,600), or both. Providing these illegal online gambling services to Singaporeans can lead to fines of between S$20,000 ($14,400) and S$200,000 ($144,000), up to five years in jail, or both.

In 2016, the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools were given the green light to be the two licensed online gambling operators in Singapore. This is only for sports betting. There are no online casinos or online poker available in Singapore as of yet.

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