Private Lotteries Act 2011 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Administration of Act
6. Official secrecy
Feedback & supportEvery person having any official duty or being employed in the administration of this Act must regard and deal with all documents, information, returns and assessments relating to duty under this Act, or the supply of any goods and services or income of any promoter of a private lottery, as secret and confidential, and may be required by the Commissioner to make or subscribe a declaration to that effect in the form determined by the Commissioner.
promoter
“promoter”, in the case of a lottery promoted by a society, means the individual who, or the secretary (or similar official) of the society who, promotes the lottery, and in the case of a lottery promoted, held, drawn or managed outside Singapore, the principal official of the local or affiliated branch or section of the society;
Every person having possession or control over any document, information, return or assessment in relation to duty under this Act, or the supply of any goods and services or income of any promoter of a private lottery, who at any time otherwise for the purpose of this Act or with the express authority of the President —
document
“document” includes, in addition to a document in writing —(a)any map, plan, graph or drawing;(b)any photograph;(c)any label, marking or other writing which identifies or describes anything of which it forms a part, or to which it is attached by any means;(d)any disc, tape, soundtrack, or other device in which sounds or other data (not being visual images) are embodied so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom;(e)any film (including microfilm), negative, tape, disc or other device in which one or more visual images are embodied so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom; and(f)any paper or other material on which there are marks, impressions, figures, letters, symbols or perforations having a meaning for persons qualified to interpret them;
communicates or attempts to communicate such information or anything contained in such documents or copies to any person; or
suffers or permits any person to have access to any such information or to anything contained in such documents or copies,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.
No person appointed under, or who is employed in carrying out, the provisions of this Act is required to produce in any court any document, return or assessment, or to divulge or communicate to any court any matter or thing coming under his or her notice in the performance of his or her duties under this Act except as may be necessary —
for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this Act; or
in order to institute a prosecution, or in the course of prosecution, for any offence committed in relation to duty under this Act, goods and services tax and income tax.
Despite this section, the Commissioner must permit the Minister for Finance, the Auditor‑General or any officer duly authorised in that behalf by the Minister for Finance or Auditor‑General to have such access to any records or documents as may be necessary for the performance of his or her official duties.
Commissioner
“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Betting Duties appointed under section 5, and includes a Deputy Commissioner of Betting Duties and an Assistant Commissioner of Betting Duties appointed under that section;
Despite this section, the Commissioner may transmit or communicate any document, information, return or assessment referred to in subsection (2) to the following persons which may be required by them in the performance of their official duties:
the Comptroller of Income Tax;
the Comptroller of Property Tax;
the Comptroller of Goods and Services Tax;
the Chief Assessor;
the Commissioner of Stamp Duties;
the Permit Officer.
Despite this section, the Permit Officer —
Permit Officer
“Permit Officer” means the Permit Officer appointed under section 4, and includes a person appointed under that section to act in the Permit Officer’s place during his or her temporary absence and, except under section 26, an Assistant Permit Officer appointed under section 4;
must furnish to the Minister for Home Affairs or any officer duly authorised in that behalf by the Minister for Home Affairs any records or documents as may be necessary for the performance of his or her official duties; and
may furnish to the Commissioner or any person referred to in subsection (5) any document or information which may be required by him or her in the performance of his or her duties.
Despite this section, the Commissioner may, for the purpose of enabling the Chief Statistician to perform his or her duties under the Statistics Act 1973, furnish and permit the Chief Statistician access to any information and records prescribed in regulations made under section 32(2).
Despite this section, the Commissioner may lay a complaint of professional misconduct against any person in the person’s professional dealings with the Commissioner to the appropriate authority empowered to take disciplinary action against the person and may in connection with the complaint furnish any relevant documents or information.
Despite subsections (1) and (2) and without affecting subsections (4) to (8), the Commissioner may disclose information relating to the duty payable by a promoter of a private lottery to the following with the express consent of the promoter of the private lottery to whom the information relates:
private lottery
“private lottery” means a lottery in which tickets or chances are offered for sale only to members of a society which is established for purposes not connected with gaming, wagering or lotteries and such number of guests of each member as the Minister for Home Affairs may prescribe by regulations;
to any public officer or officer of a statutory board for the performance of his or her official duties in administering or facilitating the administration of any written law or public scheme; or
to any person who is engaged by the Government or a statutory board to facilitate the administration of such written law or public scheme, if the Commissioner has obtained a written undertaking from the other person that the other person is bound by the same obligations as to secrecy imposed by subsections (1), (2) and (3).
Despite this section, the Commissioner may furnish to the Government or any statutory board for any statistical or research purpose any information relating to any person in a manner that does not identify, and is not reasonably capable of being used to identify, that person.