Malaysia Cops Continue Illegal Gambling Crackdown, Officials Reveal

Posted on: June 25, 2021, 08:52h. 

Last updated on: June 26, 2021, 08:12h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A gambling raid by Malaysian police Thursday led to the apprehension of nine suspects, according to an official news agency report. Currency and gambling equipment were seized.

Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) reported cops in the northwestern state of Penang seized RM19,641, which works out to US$4,726, from a house located in Kampung Tanah Liat. The residence was rented by the gaming operation.

Police also seized chips, dice, cell phones, modems, and gambling note papers, the report adds.

The suspects included five men and four women. They ranged in age between 42 to 56. They face charges for illegal gambling and public health rules, the report adds.

The syndicate has been renting the house for the past three months, and a 48-year-old man who was arrested is the mastermind in providing all gambling items to conduct online ‘Si Goh Lak’ type gambling,” Seberang Perai Tengah district police official Shafee Abd Samad was quoted in the report.

The eight other suspects allegedly worked in the online gambling operation. The operation used the WeChat mobile payment app to take bets, police said.

The operation raised thousands of ringgit (the local currency) daily in revenue, police said.

Earlier Gambling Raids

In an unrelated incident during April, Penang police raided another illegal online gambling operation. Four suspects were arrested in the raid of a residence in Jalan Casa Residensi.

The operation was run out of an upscale condominium, according to Bernama. It also raised thousands of ringgit in profits.

The suspects were either 36 or 37 years old. Each was male. They face gambling charges.

The premises was used as a call center for online gambling,” Penang police official Rahimi Mohd Ra’ais was quoted in the April report. He said the operation targeted local residents, especially the elderly and Indonesian nationals.

The operation often relocated to avoid detection by the police, the report claimed. It was available to online players 24 hours daily.

During the raid, cops seized three computer monitors, two central processing units, a modem, router, and various documents, police said.

Also, in 2019 Malaysian police raided an illicit online gaming operation which offered more than 200 games. That raid led to the arrest of 100 Chinese nationals near Kuala Lumpur, the nation’s capital city.

Altogether, police apprehended 83 men and 17 women, as well as a local woman. They faced illegal gambling and immigration charges, according to BenarNews, an online news organization affiliated with Radio Free Asia.

News reports varied on the operation’s profits. The Sun said it earned more than RM18,000 ($4,301) a day. BenarNews said it was RM72,000 ($17,244) daily.

Police seized 66 laptops, 23 personal computers, 555 mobile phones, 11 modems, and eight routers from the operation, BenarNews reported.

National, Regional Gambling Crackdowns

In 2019, Kuala Lumpur police chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim announced that authorities were getting tough with illegal online gambling in Kuala Lumpur.

In 2017, the national government previously announced an initiative to wipe out illegal gambling.