Turning off online gabling sites

Malaysian police have been amongst the most active in the world in their initiatives to stamp out both land and online illegal gambling, but their efforts are constantly challenged by persistent operators who simply pay their fines and then start fresh operations on the same premises.

According to the Star newspaper, the police may now be developing an answer to this challenge – the denial of electricity services to offenders, a particularly potent weapon against online gambling operators and especially recalcitrant internet cafe owners, they claim.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Zahruddin Abdullah said the police would work out the details with two municipal councils to initially implement the plan.

“I know this is not easy as we have to prove that the operators have offered online gambling services,” he said yesterday. The police nevertheless would study all aspects to attack those involved in such activities, he vowed.

Malaysian police have carried out 2,393 raids between January and November this year, seizing 8,991 computers and gambling machines.

But only 767 raids were successful, the police spokesman revealed. “We also arrested 933 caretakers and workers at these premises,” he said, adding that police raided 33 cyber cafes and arrested 10 people between Thursday and Sunday alone.

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