Cyber gambling rampant

August 1, 2015

Abdul Karim says this social threat springing up everywhere, calls for immediate action to curb its growth

The councils and police should not be in cahoots with operators of these outlets. How could they not know these outlets are all over the place.

SIBU: Cyber gambling seems to be getting from bad to worse, despite pledges by police and local authorities to decimate this social menace.

This was said by Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who said cyber gambling outlets were springing up everywhere and many youths addicted to cyber gambling ended up in financial difficulties.

“I am happy to see that one day after being appointed as Deputy Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), he has given a statement about the menace of illegal gambling being rampant in our society.

“Likewise, (Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment) Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan also commented on cyber gambling, which is causing problems in our society,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Recently, Bernama reported Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as instructing police to boost the fight against illegal gambling activities in the country as efforts in the past four months seemed to be ineffective.

The newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister reportedly said such activities must be ‘fought 100 per cent’ and that he would come down hard on those who tried to protect gambling activities, including police personnel.

Abdul Karim appealed to local government enforcement authorities and police to come down hard on these outlets, saying: “It’s really ruining our youths’ life.”

“The councils and police should not be in cahoots with operators of these outlets.

“How could they not know these outlets are all over the place. They should not close their eyes to vices that are operating right under their noses,” he added.

Assistant Minister of Local Government Datuk John Sikie Tayai, meanwhile, told The Borneo Post that local authorities in the state would not hesitate to act tough on business owners, including closing their premises if they were found to indulge in any form of gambling activities.

Sikie, who is Kakus assemblyman, pointed out that the owners would not be issued any new licence by the local authorities.

“Local authorities have to close these outlets and the owners won’t be issued any new licence by the local authorities…so, I would like to remind all these business outlets not to indulge the premises in any kind of gambling,” he said.