KUALA LUMPUR: The online gambling activity that has become more rampant with blatant use of various applications was due to legal loopholes, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman said it was among the limitations faced by the government in seeking for solutions for the problem.
“Our (main) challenge is the fact that these online gambling were not being operated in Malaysia. Instead, the servers are based overseas with the use of different Internet Protocols (IPs).
“When we reported on the websites operating online gambling to the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to have the IP blocked, they (the operators) only needed to change the (IP) numbers.
“This has made it difficult for us and as stated by Communications and Multimedia Minister (Gobind Singh Deo), there are about 700,000 suspicious prepaid lines in the country,” he said during question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to supplementary question by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-DAP Kota Melaka) on government’s effort to combat the rampant online gambling, apart from the enforcement of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001 against the masterminds of the illegal activity.
Azis said the authorities faced obstacles in curbing the activity as it did not involve cash transactions.
He said the modus operandi had caused failure to obtain any evidence to prosecute the gamblers.
“We arrested them (online gamblers) but they said they were merely playing games and downloading applications, which did not involve any cash transactions.
“On AMLATFPUAA, it is being referred to the ministry’s legal unit as the operations did not involve cash transactions,” he said.
He said some of the syndicates would apply for a different license under a new company while masquerading as gaming and family entertainment centres.
“The police could shut down the outlet today and they (the owner) would apply for a new license from the municipal councils, making it difficult for the police to curb the illegal activity,” he said in reply to a supplementary question by Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS-Kota Bharu).