KUALA LUMPUR: Stunned by police raids on gambling dens, the operators have now resorted to a new tactic to continue the business undetected.
Police discovered following the arrest of nine people in Perak recently, that they would meet gamblers at restaurants and ferry them to premises not known to the police.
Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division (D7) principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Roslee Chik said the suspects were apprehended on Friday during a large-scale anti-gambling operation.
He said the group would meet clients at a restaurant before taking them to rented spaces where they would be connected to the illegal online websites.
“This new modus operandi means that gamblers need not go to gambling dens, all they need is a laptop, smartphone, or tablets.
“The gamblers would purchase credit from the operators who in turn would give them a password to gain access to the gambling websites.
“This gives the culprits mobility and makes it harder to track them down,” he added.
SAC Roslee said as long as Malaysians have access to the websites, new methods of gambling would continue to pop up.
“I was told by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) that Malaysians can gain access to more than 1,000 gambling websites with servers based in countries where gambling is legal.
“One way to stamp out illegal online gambling in the country is to block access to these websites,” he added.
Police have conducted 16,255 raids on gambling dens and arrested 661 people under Ops Dadu, which was conducted between Oct 26 and Nov 7.
“Police officers at every level, be it district or state, are dedicated to stamping out illegal gambling.
“The Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) have done a commendable job in ensuring that police officers do not collude with illegal gambling operators," he added.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
