Key Takeaways
- The Malaysian Attorney General has given a speech in which he announced that his department would be submitting proposals to introduce laws governing internet gambling.
- Currently Malaysian gambling is covered by the Betting Act of 1953, which outlaws almost all forms of sports betting and bookmaking, including bets taken over the telecommunications network.
- It is unclear whether the new laws proposed by the Attorney-General will make any attempt to liberalize the existing regime.
The Malaysian Attorney General has given a speech in which he announced that his department would be submitting proposals to introduce laws governing internet gambling.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail explained that the “current laws cover gambling, but not virtual gambling. The problem is that many illegal gambling activities are done online. We need to have a new set of laws or amend the old laws.”
Much internet gambling takes place at illegal gambling centers. The government has recently launched a crackdown on such enterprises, and last Sunday 453 raids were carried out under Operation Dadu Khas.
