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This is so stupid As if it's the restaurant patrons fault that the lifts is OoO and they have to exit via the casino. Incident at Marina Bay Sands raises question about casino levy exemptions By Teo Xuanwei | Posted: 08 June 2010 0013 hrs SINGAPORE : Lawyers said tweaks to the Casino Control Act may be needed to provide for "special circumstances", such as if an emergency breaks out. This follows an incident when 15 diners were forced to walk through the casino because they found that two lifts - their only exits - were out of order. The group refused to pay the $100 casino levy. The incident happened on May 4. The diners had patronised a Chinese restaurant, Imperial Treasure, at Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Responding to MediaCorp, the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) said it is "aware of this incident and is currently looking into the matter". It is unclear how many in the group are Singaporeans and permanent residents. But MediaCorp understands none of them have been prosecuted yet. The incident raises questions about whether the law provides for exemptions from entry levies. One lawyer said the incident may have highlighted a technical breach of the law but the Attorney General's Chambers still has the discretion to decide whether to charge the individuals or penalise Marina Bay Sands. By failing to collect the entry levies, Marina Bay Sands would also have flouted Section 116 of the Act - which makes them liable to disciplinary action. This may come in the form of one or more of the following - cancellation or suspension of a casino license; receiving a letter of censure; the variation of the terms of a casino license; or being fined not more than $1 million. Sunil Sudheesan from law firm KhattarWong said: "Frankly, I do not think that CRA would take any action in this case." He added that tweaks to the existing laws may be needed to provide for "special circumstances", such as fires. - CNA /ls