KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has warned of the potential consequences of legalising online gambling.
Its Education Officer N. V. Subbarow said that social issues could be the main challenge the government has to overcome when Putrajaya legalises it.
"Anything done online will be difficult for the authorities to control.
"It will be difficult to set an age limit and monitor it (as eligibility to gamble), hence even youngsters would also want to try it for fun," he said when contacted today.
He said people who were used to gambling the traditional way would be comfortable in doing it online.
This would lead to them gambling even more than before, potentially becoming addicted to it.
Besides that, if they lost the bet, they could face mental issues which could lead to people committing suicide, he said.
"Rather than restricting gambling activities, the government is opening more doors for them to gamble."
"It is as though they encourage the people to gamble at their fingertips, as this can be done with easy Internet access wherever they go," he added.
The government is mulling a law to legalise online gambling in Malaysia.
The law would enable the government to regulate and collect tax revenue from the business.