KUCHING: The disputes and controversial debates on whether online gambling should be banned continue to attract different reactions from the public.
Earlier this month, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor announced that he would ban gambling in his state.
Several days later, Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli also announced that his state would emulate Kedah’s decision to ban online gambling.
New Sarawak Tribune interviewed Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) chairman Datuk John Lau Pang Heng for his views on the issue.
MORE ROBUST APPROACH NEEDED
Lau explained that the authorities needed more legal muscle to curb the growing illegal gambling and bookmaking menace in the country.
He said that the government needed to strengthen the laws to tackle these illegal operators as well as engage with legal gaming operators to better understand the operating landscape.
“While legal amendments are a quick fix, new laws have to be put in place for long-term enforcement measures,” he said.
Lau pointed out that the Common Gaming Houses Act, which was enacted in 1953 needed to be revised to keep up with the times and to regulate online gambling.
“The government must look into this seriously as current technology allows users to place bets from their cell phones easily.
“The Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 (AMLA) and Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA) are not tailored to deal with illegal gambling and more so if it is conducted in cyberspace beyond national borders,” he said.
Lau said there must be local laws to govern Internet gambling and stiff penalties could deter illegal gambling.
Currently, the penalty for illegal gambling under the Common Gaming Houses Act is a fine of up to RM5,000, up to six months’ jail, or both, while operators can be fined up to RM50,000, jailed up to three years, or both.
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.
However, Lau expressed concerns 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 fines, considering the big profits from these illegal operations,” he said.
Lau added that amendments and the introduction of new laws would not only control the illegal activities but could indirectly boost the 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, adding that the government needed something similar to Singapore’s Remote Gambling Act to curb online gambling.
“The laws should not only cover online gambling, either legal or illegal, but also deal with those who have no permission to operate locally.”
Making comparisons to Singapore, he pointed out that under the Singaporean laws, banks could bar transactions or payments to online gambling operators while those associated with the business, including those managing operations as a third party, would also face consequences.
“Under the Singaporean laws, those caught can be heavily fined, with amounts ranging from S$20,000 (RM60,000) to S$500,000 (RM1.5mil), and jail terms of up to seven years,” he said.
A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri has urged the public to notify the police if they are aware of any gambling centres or gambling activities which are currently active.
“This will allow the police to undergo further investigations and enable them to eradicate the ongoing issue of gambling,” he said.
Mohd Azman revealed that the “Ops Dadu” statistics had shown that police successfully conducted 1,996 raids in 2022 in Sarawak compared to 2,152 raids in 2021.
He disclosed this recently during a press conference held after the police monthly assembly held on Jan 11 at the Sarawak Contingent Police (IPK) Kuching.
The Sarawak police also made 2,621 arrests in 2022 against online gambling, calling centres and gambling in public spaces compared to 3,183 arrests in 2021.
In 2022, RM578,973 worth of money was seized compared to RM794,126 in 2021.
Mohd Azman also revealed that police managed to confiscate1,636 gambling machine, tabs and phones in 2022 compared to 1,989 compared to gambling machine, tabs and phones in 2022 in 2021.
