No Online Casino Gambling at Cybercafes
The Malaysia government is taking a tough stance on online casino gambling in
the country and taking the brunt of the crackdown are the more than 241 licensed
cybercafés. Cybercafés are very popular in Malaysia and while some are used for
their intended purpose – for citizens to access the internet, others operate
akin to gambling dens according to the Malaysian government and are allowing
minors to access the online casinos. Malaysia is a northern state within Perak,
and government officials in Perak are specifically warning the operators of
Malaysian cybercafés to clean up their business and operate according to their
license.
Online casino gambling is a controversial subject all over the world and because
of the ability of minors to access the gambling sites in an unregulated and
uncontrolled environment, the government is often forced to step in and force
compliance. Such is the case in Malaysia, the Perak Cyber Centre Association and
local authorities have issued a formal warning to the cybercafés that they have
one month to cease activities related to the online casinos industry – after
that point the operators will face swift legal action.
The underage gambling issue is a chief concern for officials, some of the
cybercafés are exploiting minors through their online casino gambling offerings.
The Chairman of the state’s Education, Local Government, Housing and Public
Transport Committee, Nga Kor Ming, elaborated on the underage gambling problem.
He notes, “...there are some black sheep [cybercafés] that even give loans to
students and charge them loan shark interest. We want to tell such cyber cafe
operators that we are going to close them down immediately. No compromises and
no appeals.”
The one-month notice is already in effect and the cybercafé owners and operators
are already beginning to clean up their act on threat of major action from the
government. |