Terence Cao Under Investigation For Endorsing Illegal Gambling Website In Videos
The 55-year-old actor first shared that the videos were meant to deter people from gambling, but stopped responding soon after.
According to local media outlet Lianhe Zaobao, actor Terence Cao, 55, is currently under investigation after appearing in three video commercials for an illegal gambling website.
The tip-off came from a reader, who shared that they’d spotted Terence, who runs live streaming sales company Sibay Shiok, in three short videos promoting a gambling website.
The videos were hosted on YouTube and the advertising campaign appeared to have been paid for by the gambling website.
The videos showed Terence acting out various roles, and promoting the “joy" of “gambling in small amounts”.
Singapore’s Gambling Control Act expressly prohibits all unlicensed gambling. The only licensed company that offers gambling and betting services in Singapore is Singapore Pools, which means that all other online gambling websites are considered illegal.
Zaobao spoke to two lawyers, Cory Wong from Invictus Law Corporation and Senior Criminal Lawyer Tan Hee Joek, who both confirmed that the website Terence was promoting in the videos is illegal.
As it is also illegal for individuals to assist in the advertisement or promotion of such websites, Terence’s actions can be considered a breach of the Gambling Control Act. Such offences carry a maximum fine of $20,000.
When Zaobao contacted Terence about the videos, the actor said he was approached by a production company that he’d never worked with.
He added that he was unaware of the context of the video, and that he was not clear about the website as well.
The former actor then continued on to ask Zaobao’s reporter to “rewatch the videos”, saying that they were meant to advise people to stay away from gambling.
When the reporter followed up via text with Terence, confirming that the videos were promoting the joy of gambling in small amounts, Terence did not reply, despite reading the messages.
Local media outlet 8world also attempted to reach out to Terence to clarify this issue, but has yet to receive a reply.
Since then, all three videos featuring Terence have been removed from the gambling website. The Singapore Police Force also confirmed that it has received a report regarding this issue, and that the case is currently under investigation.
Singapore’s Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) will also be conducting further checks on this. The GRA has the authority to shut down illegal gambling websites that they come across.
Photos: Terence Cao/Instagram, Lianhe Zaobao
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