KUALA LUMPUR: After shutting down its last 4D gaming outlet yesterday, Perlis became the latest state in the country to phase out gambling.
The outlet, Da Ma Cai, located in Padang Besar, about 57km southwest of Thailand's Hat Yat, ceased operation on March 6.
Previously, Perlis had six lottery outlets, but they had stopped operation between July and October last year, following the state government's announcement that it would not renew operating licences for betting outlets.
Although the closure of the gaming outlets will lead to economic losses, State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Fakhrul Anwar Ismail said the state government was willing to sacrifice the annual sum of RM2,544 of revenue from the operating licences.
"The state government's main consideration is social harmony, and in the public's interest, the state government is willing to sacrifice the annual revenue of RM2,544 paid to MPKP," he said in a news report in June last year.
Perlis became the fourth state under PAS' administration to stop issuing licences for gaming outlets after Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah.
Since January 2023, Kedah has shut down all its 45 gaming outlets, while Kelantan and Terengganu have imposed the ban since 1990 and 2020, respectively.
Punters were seen making a beeline at the Perlis outlet before it ceased operation. Some have even travelled to Penang's Da Ma Cai outlet, the nearest to the state, to collect their winnings.
An employee at the outlet told a Chinese-language newspaper that they had been seeing more people than usual, knowing it's the last day.
With the ban in place, illegal gambling is expected to get a boost, with underground betting catering to both local and foreign bettors.