KUALA LUMPUR – A deputy minister has floated the idea of issuing licences to online betting sites amid the furore over Kedah not issuing new permits nor renewing existing ones for gambling businesses.
Deputy Multimedia and Communications Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin’s (Padang Besar-BN) explanation on online betting sites drew raised eyebrows.
He said any efforts by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to block such websites are futile, given the constant domain name changes.
Zahidi was asked during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat about spam messages with links to online betting sites.
He said from 2018 to October 31, 2021, 4,799 gambling sites have been blocked but under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, authorities only have jurisdiction against premises conducting gambling activities.
“That’s why I said, if we don’t license it (online gambling), we do not have the income to supervise these operations. We must give them licences and perform checks.
“This is because their website domains change. If there are no gambling premises, we can’t take action. So for online gambling, there is no law, and Parliament must make new laws (on it).”
The PAS-led Kedah government will neither issue new licences nor renew existing ones for gambling businesses, including all 4D lottery outlets, in the state, effective immediately.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said apart from gambling licences, the state government will also restrict the sale of alcohol in public, and which will only be sold to non-Muslim consumers.
“This decision was made at the state executive council meeting last week, and we agreed that local authorities throughout the state of Kedah will no longer issue licences to gambling businesses.
“We want to make Kedah a gambling-free state because we are aware that gambling is the cause of the collapse of family institutions and the nation’s civilisation,” he said at a press conference yesterday. – The Vibes, November 15, 2021
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