KUALA LUMPUR – The producer and actors of a contentious Hari Raya gambling commercial have landed themselves in hot water after police initiated an investigation into the matter.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said police received a report from its Criminal Investigation Department after the video went viral yesterday.
He said that the contents of the video have violated the law and can cause public disharmony.
“Our investigation will focus on the producer and actors involved in the video. They will be identified and called to provide statements,” he said in a statement today.
The case is being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
Section 504 relates to insult with the intent to provoke a breach of the peace and is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of two years or a fine or both.
Section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming Houses Act, meanwhile, makes it an offence for anyone to announce or publish the opening or use of any location as a common gaming house, or invite or solicit any person to commit gambling.
Acryl urged the public not to disseminate the viral ad on social media to avoid causing further tension.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported that local online casino GDBet333 released a two-minute, 48-second Raya commercial promoting gambling with actors who appear to be Malay-Muslim.
The ad features a Muslim man who is planning to return to his hometown, but is lacking in cash, with the jingle claiming that there is an easy way to make money.
The chorus goes: “GDBet333 ada, apa nak tunggu, marilah cuba, untung nasibmu, engkau berjaya, cuci semua, kemudian beraya (There is GDBet333, what are you waiting for, try it, if you’re lucky, you’ll win, clean it out (winnings), then celebrate Raya).”
However, the controversial ad has since been taken down, while its social media pages have also been removed following brickbats from the public, who are calling for stern action to be taken against the betting company.
It is uncertain if the removals were done by GDBet333 or the respective social media platforms.
In a separate statement, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said it had communicated with the social media platforms to take down the content based on the services’ terms and community guidelines.
MCMC’s corporate communications department said the production of such content is subject to the communications and multimedia content code.
“Content producers must abide by these codes in accordance with the norms of the pluralistic nature of Malaysian society.
“At the same time, all those involved, including production crew and actors, should be more sensitive in not abetting any activity that promotes online gambling, which is clearly an offence.” – The Vibes, April 16, 2021
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