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Showing posts with label gamblers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gamblers. Show all posts

Friday, June 16, 2023

Stopping online gambling


The gambling 'godfathers'

KUALA LUMPUR: Describing it as the “biggest obstacle” for his ministry, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says there is an element of political patronage in online gambling activities in Malaysia.

“To say that online gambling in Malaysia is free from political patronage, people will laugh at it. So yes, there is indeed an element of political patronage.

“From there comes influence and protection, from there comes corruption and bribery (and) the lack of political will to fight this matter all the way.

“The players (gambling syndicates) are protected and (will) return the favour to their political masters who protect them so that no action will be taken,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Ramanan Ramakrishnan (PH-Sungai Buloh) in the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.

He added that this political patronage was the biggest obstacle for the ministry, the police and the government as a whole in their efforts to address the issue.

Saifuddin Nasution said the relevant laws need to be amended – such as the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and the Betting Act 1953 – to cover offences related to illegal online gaming platforms.

“It is now 2023 and the 1953 laws have never been amended,” he said, adding there had been efforts to make amendments to the Acts in 2019 but it was slow moving and thus unsuccessful.

Saifuddin Nasution said he will discuss the matter with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as both laws are under the purview of the Finance Ministry.

He said amending the 70-year-old laws to cover online gambling will show that the authorities are determined to combat the menace.

“In 1953, gambling or betting only involved cockfighting, but now when the police want to take action, the authorities would lose the case.

“We are still using the same Acts.

“If the police take action and they (gamblers) challenge it in court, they will win (because) online gambling is not included in these two Acts.

“The highest penalty under the Act is RM50,000.

“This (penalty) is incompatible against the multibillion-ringgit online gambling industry,” he added.

Saifuddin Nasution also said the authorities have blocked around 2,119 online gambling websites from 2021 until May 2023, only for mirror sites to pop up to replace them.

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Saturday, June 14, 2014

FIFA World Cup gambling on the go, technologies got smarter


KUALA LUMPUR: Illegal betting for this year’s World Cup is set to hit a record high – thanks to smart technology which will allow punters to place bets from anywhere and at anytime.

Federal Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division (D7) principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Roslee Chik said the total bets for the last World Cup in South Africa four years ago amounted to more than RM438mil nationwide.

“We expect this year’s tournament to surpass that amount as syndicates and gamblers are using smartphones rather than laptops.

“In the 2010 World Cup, we only had to deal with syndicates and gamblers using laptops but now smartphones have become the tool of the bookies,” he said.

Some of the gambling apps that are easily available are M88 Sports, IBCBET and SBOBET.

“We have started preparations in the last three weeks and we are ready to come down hard on anyone involved in illegal football betting,” SAC Roslee told a press conference in Bukit Aman yesterday.

Betting on football matches is illegal in Malaysia and even those who place bets on betting websites that are legal in other countries will face action.

Johor police have also set up a taskforce in every district to check on gambling activities and will focus on premises such as cybercafés and restaurants that offer live matches.

Johor police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff had these words of advice for those likely to get into bigger trouble by borrowing from loan sharks: “Just enjoy the games. There is no need to bet.”

Sabah police have set up eight teams for the Ops Soga 5 to combat football betting activities.

State CID chief Senior Asst Comm Omar Mammah said the police did not want to reveal details of their operations so they could catch the bookies and the gamblers by surprise.

According to SAC Roslee, although police arrested 143 people in 2010, including bookies and those who placed bets, most of them could not be prosecuted due to lack of evidence.

The youngest among those arrested was 15 and the oldest was 73. There were also 22 women and nine Indonesians.

He added that a total of 270 premises were raided nationwide during the month-long tournament and RM110,124 seized.

“We have learned some lessons and have improved our strategies.

“We will use the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 (Amlata) and enforcement will be more stringent,” he said.

SAC Roslee said bets for the World Cup would increase as the tournament progressed, with the stake getting higher for the quarter-final, semi-final and the final.

It is learnt that a minimum bet could from between RM200 and RM300 and they could go up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit.

SAC Roslee vowed the police would use the Prevention of Crime Act to catch syndicate members as a last resort.

“We will also work closely with the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission to identify illegal gaming facilities and websites,” he said.

SAC Roslee added they were also looking into amending existing gambling laws, to enable the authorities to have more bite against illegal gambling syndicates as syndicates are using the Internet with servers based overseas.

“It is hard to get cooperation from the authorities in countries where gambling is legal,” he said.

- Contributed by Farik zolkepli, Yuen Meikeng, Randeep Singh, Aida Ahmad, Stephanie Lee, & Farhaan Shah

Related article Avoiding the gambling disease

Football Every Day Webcast to keep up with the samba beat



PETALING JAYA: The greatest show on earth has kicked off and the Football Every Day Webcast will be keeping up with the samba beat on a daily basis throughout the tournament’s duration.

With seasoned faces as well as fresh ones, join football crazy fans Zack Yusof, Daryl Goh, Ian Yee, Brian Martin and Nelsen Ng as they get together to run the rule over each day’s matches.

This time around, viewers and footie fans alike stand a chance to walk away with a pair of the latest Adidas Battle Pack Footwear worth up to RM800 and dining vouchers from SOULed Out.

To win, simply send us your most wacky and creative photo or video selfies of you and your friends enjoying the World Cup.

Entries can be submitted by email to football@thestar.com.my or via Twitter at @switchup.tv. Make sure to include your full name, IC and contact numbers.

The Star’s Football Every Day webcast can be viewed at www.Switchup.tv.

Smartphones causing a spike in betting among youth

PETALING JAYA: Internet gambling has become more rampant among young people, especially since it has become so easy to bet using smartphones.

Those aged between 17 and 30 now make up 75% of online gamblers. The other 25% consists largely of those aged between 31 and 42.

Data from Gamblers Rehab Centre (GRC) Malaysia received between 2007 and last year show that the number of online gamblers who received counselling have increased from just 16 cases in 2007 to 112 last year.

“We received an average of 120 gamblers seeking help from us every year.

“Due to the popularity of smartphones, internet gambling has become more common,” said the GRC in a statement.

“There is no age minimum and it is open to everyone. The only qualification is the amount of money one has in the account,” it said.

The GRC said online gambling on credit was operated by illegal syndicates that set up their own websites and appointed agents to get clients to open trading accounts.

“They will give their clients credits to bet. This type of gambling is very popular, especially among school students,” it said.

Any losses or wins would be transacted via the account on a fixed day of the week.

“Since it does not require any cash deposit, it causes many to lose control and fall into the whirlpool of gambling.

“In order to win back lost money or to repay their debts, clients tend to borrow money from loan sharks, who in fact, are partners in the whole operation,” the GRC said.

However, there are a few types of online gambling games which do not involve money and are found on Facebook, said GRC, adding that such games might encourage some to move on to “real” online gambling.

The GRC has conducted awareness seminars in schools and other places to prevent people from picking up the habit.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Get rid of illegal casinos gambling now !

SINGAPORE: Police have arrested five men in a raid on an illegal gambling den in a private apartment at Geylang Road.

I REFER to “Bet illegal casinos can be weeded out” (see below). They should not be allowed to thrive. They are a nuisance and must go.

I hope the enforcement agencies work on this immediately. Stop giving excuses that this cannot be done.

Such nefarious ways and activities must be put to an end. Have the political will to do so and we will see to their demise.

What is also shocking is how illegal massage parlours, budget hotels, nightclubs, pubs, video arcades and other unhealthy businesses have cropped up of late?

Did the state governments give permission for them to operate? Whatever it is, please see to it that they stop functioning.

Their presence is bad. Trust me, nothing good comes from casinos and gambling.

Gambling is addictive and leads to compulsive gambling problems and unhealthy obsessions; it promotes crime, sin, stupidity, laziness, arrogance, greed, selfishness, entitlement and neglect of one’s family, among others.

BULBIR SINGH  Seremban

Bet illegal casinos can be weeded out

IT is known as the street that never sleeps. And for all the wrong reasons.

Because of the proliferation of gambling outlets, businesses along the same street, both legal and illegal, operate non-stop to cater to the demands of the gamblers.

In another part of the Klang Valley, one road is regarded as the hottest gambling spot in town, with 20 outlets along a single stretch.

The Star's investigation into the e-gambling dens in Klang, Selayang, Batu Caves, Kepong and Petaling Jaya reveal that these casinos in the streets thrive because the authorities turn a blind eye to what is going on under their jurisdictions.

Enforcement is lax even when these outlets in highly-popular zones are so easily identified.

We are not talking about illegal activities that operate in the boondocks, where their locations are tightly-kept secrets and you may need special passwords to gain access.

As our expose today on similar outlets in Penang reveals, we are talking about such illegal activities in two of the most developed states in the country.

The local authorities and enforcement agencies are certainly well-equipped to deal with situations like these.

The modus operandi seems simple enough. By day, they are typical business outlets, but by night they transform into bustling gambling dens.

The enforcers should be working round the clock to close them down.

The real action happens after dark, when not only gamblers head to these places, but also others seeking other services, like sex, to unwind after a hard day's work.

One law enforcement official claims that the operators of the illegal e-casinos play “hide-and-seek” with the authorities and often disappear before raids are conducted.

Meanwhile, the local authorities claim that they cannot do anything about the rising gambling menace either because the residents do not complain officially or that the other enforcement agencies are not doing their part.

While that may be the case, such scenarios are common and should not be used as an excuse not to take the necessary action.

The enforcement officials can station themselves in these areas.

The licensing authorities can shut down even the legitimate businesses in the daytime if they have evidence that they are being used for illegal activities at night.

Rather than blame one another over the lack of action, everyone can, and should, work as a team to ensure that our streets come alive, in the day or at night, for only the right reasons.

Otherwise, casinos in the streets will simply spawn crime in the streets.

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