Venetian Macau has been prevented from enforcing a HK$19.35m (US$2.5m) gambling debt judgment in Singapore, creating a significant obstacle for foreign casinos seeking repayment from customers with assets in the city-state.
The Sands China subsidiary obtained a default judgment against businesswoman Hu Yangning from the Hong Kong High Court in March 2025.
Hu had signed an agreement in November 2023 allowing her to receive up to HK$15m in gaming credit at The Venetian Macao. She also signed a promissory note and related authorisation documents.
The Hong Kong judgment ordered her to pay HK$19.35m, together with legal costs and annual interest of 18% from October 29, 2024.
Venetian Macau registered the judgment in Singapore and secured an order allowing property owned by Hu to be seized and sold.
Singapore High Court judge Philip Jeyaretnam overturned the registration after ruling that enforcement would conflict with the country’s public policy on gambling debts.
Singapore’s Civil Law Act treats gaming and wagering contracts as void and prevents legal action to recover money won through gambling.
The Casino Control Act provides an exception allowing Singapore’s two licensed casino operators, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, to issue and recover gaming credit under local regulatory oversight.
The court found that the exception does not extend to casino operators outside Singapore, even when the gambling was legal and the debt had been recognised by a foreign court.
Venetian Macau argued that the promissory note represented a separate financial instrument rather than a wagering contract.
The court rejected the distinction because the note was inseparable from the credit arrangement through which Hu obtained casino chips.
Hu’s other objections involving notice, alleged fraud and the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong court were dismissed.
The ruling does not invalidate Venetian Macau’s claim or prevent the company from pursuing the debt in another jurisdiction. It establishes that Singapore’s courts cannot be used to enforce the judgment while the underlying obligation remains a foreign gambling debt.
