MIRI: Six men found out the hard way that illegal gambling doesn’t pay.
They were each fined RM700 in default four weeks’ imprisonment by a Magistrates’ Court here on Thursday after they pleaded guilty to illegal gambling in a public place.
Lee Kim Thian and seven other offenders were caught playing ‘Ho Hey How’ (an illegal game) on Feb 4 in a fish market at Jalan Cina, here.
Two of the offenders did not appear in court and a Warning Order Attorney (WOA) was issued against them to compel them to be present in court on April 4.
The six were charged under Section7(2) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which provides for a maximum fine of RM5,000 or up to six months in jail, or both.
Magistrate Zuraini Ali Musa imposed the penalties after taking into consideration several aspects including their guilty plea and mitigation, facts of the case, seriousness of the case and public interest.
According to the facts of the case, acting on information received, a team from the Miri Central police station raided the place and arrested the eight.
Police seized the ‘Ho Hey Hew’ paraphernalia as exhibits.
Inspector Mohd Khairi Mohd Noor prosecuted.
