SINGAPORE — In recent celebrity news, Singaporean showbiz actor Terence Cao, 55, acted in three promotional videos to stop people from gambling on illegal gambling sites.
In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao via phone, the actor admitted that a production company – which he has never worked with before and was completely new to him invited him to act in the short videos. He was also not aware about the gambling websites then.
He called on the press to ‘tell people not to gamble’ and advocated for people to watch the videos.
Some reporters questioned him about the videos as it wasn’t strictly telling people not to gamble but instead encouraged them to bet small amounts that were less stressful and enjoyable. Cao did not respond to these follow up questions via text and phone.
In one of the videos that lasted for a minute and 40 seconds, Cao played the different roles of weed control workers. The story revolved around one character who gambled and lost $500, and the other who comforted him by sharing his smaller win of $50 from betting.
In Singapore, Singapore Pools is the operator licensed to conduct lotteries and sports betting in the country. The Gambling Control Act (2022) forbids all gambling activities unless licensed, class-licensed, or exempted. Breaking the law may result in a maximum fine of $20,000.
As per Zaobao, the Gambling Regulatory Authority is now investigating this matter. The representative stated that in accordance with the Gambling Control Act, the Gambling Control Bureau holds the power to block illegal gambling websites.