15-6-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail, has revealed that operators of online gambling platforms in Malaysia enjoy political patronage, making it exceedingly challenging for law enforcement authorities to combat illegal gambling activities.
During the parliamentary question and answer session today, Saifuddin responded to an additional query from Zainol Fadzi, the Member of Parliament for Sungai Manik, by stating that gambling activities are shielded through political patronage, posing the biggest obstacle to the efforts of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Royal Malaysian Police, and the government in combating gambling activities.
“If we say that there is no political patronage involved in online gambling in Malaysia, people would laugh… So yes, these players (online gambling operators) do have elements of political patronage,” Saifuddin stated.
“Wherever there is influence and protection, there is corruption and bribery, leading to a lack of political resolve. This is why we are determined to fully crackdown on illegal gambling activities.”
Saifuddin mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs will thoroughly investigate whether the approval of gambling licenses is linked to specific political figures.
Accelerating the Amendment of Gambling Laws
He disclosed that Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar had mentioned the factor of “political patronage,” and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is currently conducting investigations, although no information has been obtained thus far.
Saifuddin stated that the ministry is studying and will expedite the process of amending the 1953 Open Gambling Ordinance and the 1953 Common Gaming Houses Act.
He explained that although the government had proposed amendments to the aforementioned laws in 2019, the entire process has been excessively slow.
He expressed his intention to discuss the amendment of these two gambling laws with Anwar in order to make them more relevant.
“I will discuss this matter with Anwar because the related laws fall under the purview of the Ministry of Finance.”
Saifuddin highlighted that neither of the aforementioned laws has been amended since 1953, and online gambling is not covered by the existing legislation.
Outdated Laws Pose Serious Challenges
‘Online Gamblers May Be Acquitted’
Saifuddin expressed concern that if individuals were brought to court for involvement in online gambling offenses, there would likely be challenges.
“The gambling in 1953 may have been limited to cockfighting, but now it’s 2023, and we have online gambling, yet we are still relying on outdated gambling laws. If the police take action and they (gamblers) challenge in court that online gambling is not within the purview of the law, they will surely win.”
He emphasized that law enforcement agencies are making every effort to combat illegal gambling activities, including blocking gambling websites.
As an example, he cited that from 2021 to May of last year, the government had intercepted up to 2,119 gambling websites. “There are also numerous online gambling activities on the Telegram application. If the government blocks this application, businesses may claim that we are unfriendly, but this will pose a new threat.”
Saifuddin assured that the government is fully committed to amending gambling laws with political determination.
