Common Gaming Houses Act · 2019 Revised Edition
17. Police to give notice to owner; sub-tenant to inform lessor
Official textFrom Attorney General's Chambers, unchanged
If in the case of a place entered under this Act —
place
“place” means any house, office, room or building and any place or spot whether open or enclosed and includes a ship, boat or other vessel whether afloat or not and any vehicle;
any passage, staircase or means of access to any part thereof is unusually narrow or steep or otherwise difficult to pass;
any part of the premises is provided with unusual or unusually numerous means for preventing or obstructing an entry;
with unusual contrivances for enabling persons therein to see or ascertain the approach or entry of persons; or
for giving the alarm or for facilitating escape from the premises, it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, that the place is a common gaming house and that the place is so kept or used by the occupier thereof;
and if notice as provided in subsection (2) has been served on the owner of the premises, it shall further be presumed until the contrary is proved that the place is so kept with the permission of the owner thereof.
If it comes to the knowledge of the Commissioner of Police that any place is fitted or provided with any of the means or contrivances mentioned in subsection (1) in such a way as to lead to a presumption that the place is used or intended to be used for the purposes of a common gaming house, it shall be the duty of such
Commissioner of Police to cause notice thereof to be served on the owner of such place as well as on the occupier thereof.
If the owner is not otherwise known, service shall be made on the person or persons named in the Assessment Register or
District Land Register as the owners or occupiers of such place.
If the names of the owners and occupiers, or owners or occupiers, are not inscribed in such books, the notice may be served by being affixed to the principal outer door or any outer door or window or any conspicuous part of the place.
Common Gaming Houses
Every sub-tenant receiving a notice under this section shall forthwith inform the owner or the person from whom he rents the premises of the fact of receipt of such notice who shall in the same manner inform the owner or the person from whom he rents the premises and so on until the notice is brought to the knowledge of his immediate lessor.
Any sub-tenant refusing or omitting to make known to the owner or the person from whom he rents the premises the fact that such notice has been received is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of $10,000.
Terms defined in s 2
common gaming house
Defined · s 2“common gaming house” includes — (a) any place kept or used for gaming, to which the public or any class of the public has or may have access; (b) any place kept for habitual gaming, whether the public or any class of the public has or may have access to it or not; (c) any place kept or used for the purpose of a public lottery; (d) any place (including a place which is owned, occupied, possessed, kept, used or maintained by any society or any other organisation, body or group of persons, whether or not that society, organisation, body or group is established by or under any written law) — (i) where four or more persons are gaming; (ii) where any game specified in the Schedule is being played; or (iii) where gaming is carried out and for which payment is made by any person to any society, organisation, body or group of persons or any other person as consideration for permitting gaming in such place;
gaming
Defined · s 2“gaming” means playing any game of chance or of mixed chance and skill for money or money’s worth and includes — (a) playing any game specified in the Schedule; and (b) playing or operating any gaming machine;
place
Defined · s 2“place” means any house, office, room or building and any place or spot whether open or enclosed and includes a ship, boat or other vessel whether afloat or not and any vehicle;