KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya is considering stricter laws to curb unlawful online gambling, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the proposal was put forward by the police to ensure existing laws remain relevant amid rapid technological developments.
“The police have proposed a review of existing laws to ensure they remain relevant in addressing the evolving nature of online gambling.
“The Home Ministry, together with the Finance Ministry, the Communications Ministry, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the National Cyber Security Agency, have been involved in studying amendments, including proposals to amend the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and to incorporate provisions on online gambling offences into the proposed Cyber Crime Bill,” he said in a written parliamentary reply last night.
He was responding to a question by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Batang Lupar member of parliament Mohamad Shafizan Kepli on the actions taken and planned by the ministry and relevant agencies to combat online gambling premises and syndicates increasingly spreading in rural areas of Sarawak, as well as preventive measures to curb the continued proliferation of online gambling activities.
The minister added that 4,992 people were arrested in 4,750 raids carried out in Sarawak between 2022 and 2025. During the same period, police also seized RM740,000 and requested the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block 1,477 websites.
In 2021, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government mulled legalising online gambling in Malaysia.
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