Malaysia against illegal gambling | Access blocked to 2195 online websites

The March of 2021 has not ended well for some of the online gambling websites in Malaysia as MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) took an actual step against the online gambling sector – Exactly 2195 online gambling websites were banned as they were promoting online gambling activities. However, things did not end here because more illegal activities have been traced by MCMC. They discovered more than 19000 telephone lines that were sending text messages to customers – promoting gambling and unlicensed activities that are not considered legal in the country. The statement says that the application was submitted by the police and other public figures had information about illegal promotions as well.

MCMC is cooperating with foreign social media platforms

MCMC’s statement also provides another piece of information – They are working together in cooperation with foreign social network platforms including Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook to remove all the content that might be associated with encouraging the usage of online casino games. It is important to note that this action is in accordance with the terms and conditions as well as community standards set by mentioned social network sites.

One of the main reasons behind the illegal activities tracked by MCMC is mobile prepaid subscriptions that are misused by different parties for criminal activities that include promotion of online casinos and cyber fraud. Because of that, the government plans to audit the customer verification process to ensure that the laws set by them are actually working. Malaysian internet users are also called out to report any content that is related to gambling – The MCMC thinks that the creation of such content as well as sharing it on other social media sites are further promoting illegal activities and is harming Malaysian society.

General Gambling situation in Malaysia

Considering the fact that Malaysia is a Muslim country, nearly all forms of gambling, whether it’s offline or online are illegal. Gaming laws are mostly dictated by the Betting Act 1953. It may be a surprise for you but if someone loses a bet to another person, he can refuse to pay and the winner can’t do anything in terms of legal action. It’s already clear that the promotion of online casinos is considered illegal as well. We also have to mention the fact that 60% of the Malaysian population follows Islam and the country itself recognizes Sharia court. Because gambling is forbidden by Sharia law, there are a lot of debates about whether gambling should be legal or not.