ONLINE GAMBLING TREND UNCOVERED
People now use cashless system to make illegal bets, say police
GOH PEI PEI KUCHING news@nst.com.my
POLICE have uncovered an online gambling trend in Sarawak, which involves only cashless online transactions. The payment system was detected following a raid on a cyber gambling premises in Satok on Saturday.
Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Datuk Dev Kumar said police were investigating how the system worked.
The premises not only handled cyber gambling and illegal 4D activities, but also the collection of online bets and illegal 4D bets.
“It also processed online payments for those who wanted to buy online gambling reloads and winnings.
“This is the first time we have raided such an operation,” he said here yesterday.
Seven people, aged between 17 and 30, including the premises’ supervisor and a foreigner, were nabbed in the raid.
Six people were remanded for two days, while the foreigner is held in police custody for 14 days under the Immigration Act for not possessing valid travel documents.
Police also seized eight computers and 18 mobile phones.
The case is being investigated under section 4 (1) of the Betting Act 1953.
Dev said police were continuing their fight against illegal gambling in the state.
Twenty-seven anti-gambling raids were carried out from Sept 11 to 17, which resulted in the arrest of 39 people.
The suspects, including five foreigners, are aged between 16 and 52.
Police seized mobile phones, printers, calculators, betting slips and RM4,550 for illegal 4D, and another 10 computers and tablets, and RM875 for cyber gambling.
“We also raided a canteen at a plantation in Marudi and detained four people for playing Holo,” Dev added.
All those arrested are being investigated for offences under the Common Gaming House Act 1953 and Betting Act 1953.