Malaysia arrests 112 in Online Gambling Raids

Malaysian authorities have arrested 112 people in the Seri Alam district in connection with online gambling raids.

Abdul Samad Sellah, the Assistant Commander of the Seri Alam Police, said that the raids were carried out from Dec 1-12, with 264 laptops, four tablets and RM8,509 ($1,969) being seized.

Of the 112 arrested, 101 were online gamblers and the other 11 were online gaming operators. All are currently being investigated under the Common Gambling Act of 1953.

Malaysia has renewed their commitment to going after what they deem “illegal gambling,” which has led to an increase in raids. 2014 alone saw the country’s authorities conduct 62,189 raids that led to over 200,000 arrests and the confiscation of more than 138,000 computers. The government has also created a special police unit with over 200 officers called the Special Task Force for Anti-Vice, Gaming and Gangsterism (STAGG). Their mission is to go after the biggest operators and high rollers in the illegal gambling realm.

The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also ed in the fight, blocking internet access to 310 online gaming sites. MCMC particularly took offense to the illegal gambling websites’ use of text messaging to promote their businesses.

It certainly doesn’t look like things will slow down on this front either. In an effort to better help authorities stop “widespread online illegal gambling activities,” the government wants to update laws that are holding police back.

Authorities must currently go by the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca); but if amendments are made to the Communications and Multimedia Act, Lotteries act 1952, Common Gaming House Act 1953 and Betting Ordinance 1953, police would have more freedoms when chasing after online gaming violators.

Given Malaysia’s tough stance on internet gambling, it’s interesting that a leader of one of the world’s biggest illegal gambling rings hails from here. Malaysia’s Wei Seng (Paul) Phua was among eight men arrested in 2014 for running a World Cup betting ring out of Caesars Palace Las Vegas.

The group was renting villas at Caesars Palace when U.S. authorities became suspicions of their activities. Police then famously posed as cable repairmen after internet access to the villas was cut off. It’s at this point that authorities collected evidence that would later be thrown out in court due to the fact that no search warrant was obtained.