PETALING JAYA: Illegal gambling bookies had better watch out – the authorities are keeping a close eye on unlawful betting activities online during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said it will continue to intensify its monitoring of websites, social media platforms and online services that may be used to facilitate or promote such illegal activities.
“Based on past observations, major international sporting events, including football tournaments, are often accompanied by increased online promotional activities by illegal gambling operators seeking to attract users to illegal gambling services,” the MCMC said when contacted.
As such, there will be a heightened risk of illegal activities during the World Cup period, from June 11 until July 19.
The commission was asked to comment on whether it was expecting to see a spike in illegal gambling sites operating during the highly anticipated international football tournament.
“The MCMC undertakes actions relating to online gambling content in close coordination with the Royal Malaysia Police, which is the lead enforcement agency for offences under gambling-related laws,” it said.
The MCMC said it provides technical and regulatory support to the police in addressing the online dimensions of such activities.
“Our interventions include coordinating with Internet service providers to restrict access to identified illegal gambling websites from Malaysia.
“We also work with social media platforms and online service providers to remove content that contravenes Malaysian laws or applicable platform community standards,” it said.
Such efforts are supported by technical assistance, investigations and the collation of information from monitoring activities, public complaints and platform engagements to be escalated to the police and other authorities.
“MCMC maintains ongoing engagement with social media platforms and online service providers to improve responsiveness to regulatory requests and strengthen content moderation processes relating to illegal gambling content within their services,” the commission said.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will see matches hosted across Mexico, Canada and the United States.
