Syariah law bans all forms of gambling among Muslims in the country. In 2020, the punishment for both illegal gamblers and gambling operators was increased 20-fold, from RM5,000 to RM100,000 and a minimum jail sentence of six months. The CGHA defines gaming as 'the playing of any game of chance or of mixed chance and skill for money or money's worth'. The CGHA (with further amendments) is more inclusive than the Betting Act in its coverage of types of gambling. The Betting Act is a broad-based one that bans all forms of gambling unless the company has a legal licence to operate and covers telecommunications and other means of transmitting bets between customers and betting houses.Īs per this Act, anyone caught running a betting house or caught in one will be penalised with a RM200,000 fine and five years in jail. Online gambling is illegal under the current Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (CGHA), the Betting Act 1953 (although the Act does not explicitly cover it) as well as Syariah Law. Is gambling on online casinos and betting sites illegal?
ONLINE gambling is almost commonplace and ads for such activities can be seen in dodgy websites, spam email as well as unsolicited SMS and WhatsApp messages.
