KUCHING: Sarawak Patriot Association (SPA) president yesterday suggested that the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 be revised to keep up with the times and to regulate online gambling.
“There are also the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 (AMLA) and Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA), but these laws are not tailored to deal with illegal gambling and more so if they were conducted in cyberspace beyond national borders.
“Aside from the Common Gaming Houses Act, there are also the Lotteries Act 1952, Betting Act 1953 and Pool Betting Act 1967 to govern the gaming industry,” said Dr John Lau Pang Heng.
However, he noted that most of these laws were old while fines and jail sentences prescribed were considered low or lenient in the current times.
“As such, syndicates explore these loopholes and take advantage of the legislation to conduct betting and gaming activities.
“If they are caught, they will be more than willing to settle the small fine, considering the big profits from these illegal operations,” he said.
Lau cited Singapore’s Remote Gambling Act 2014 which aimed to curb online gambling, adding that Malaysia needed something similar.
“This law should not only cover online gambling, either legal or illegal, but also deal with those who have no permission to operate locally.”
“So, making amendments and introduction of a new law will not only control the illegal activities but it can indirectly boost tax revenue from the legal operators.
“The government should also consider allowing Number Forecast Operators to conduct online betting, a move that can reduce the operation of illegal 4D activities, and bring tax revenue to the government,” he said.
The government needed to strengthen the law to tackle illegal operators as well as engage with legal gaming operators to better understand the operating landscape.
While legal amendments were a quick fix, a new law had to be put in place for long-term enforcement measures, added Lau.
“Unless urgent action is taken to control the spread of such activities, in the next 15 to 20 years, the figures can be alarming. There are limited statistics on illegal gambling,” he warned.
Lau also shared available crime statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police for 2020 and 2021 which showed there was a slight decrease in crime activities in Malaysia (as shown by screenshot of the statistics tables).
He applauded the joint efforts by the police and the community to curb criminal activities, causing the number of crime to drop drastically.
“In combating illegal gambling, the authorities need more legal muscles such as the use of current technologies to track down on online gambling.
He added the report also mentioned that RM18,615 and 70 smart phones used in illegal online gambling were seized.
“On the other hand, gambling crime figures obtained from the Statistics Department showed there were 69 gambling cases in 2017 and 351 cases in 2020.
