Malaysian law enforcement authorities have arrested a total of 1,871 individuals for alleged involvement in online gambling and illegal lottery activities.
According to BNN, this special operation was held from September 22nd to October 5th, with 7,761 inspections and 735 raids conducted across the country.
Of the total arrests made, 802 individuals were apprehended for online gambling, while a staggering 1,069 people were detained for involvement in non-licensed public lottery activities.
Among those arrested, several were allegedly involved in public lotteries and purchasing lottery tickets. Cash, computer equipment, and mobile phones was apprehended by Malaysian authorities during the operation.
The operation was described by the Director of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department as one of the largest crackdowns on illegal gambling in the history of the country, and focused on tackling illegal online gambling and lottery betting.
Illegal gambling is said to have caused a total of RM13 million ($2.75 million) in losses for the government.
A recent report by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) and The Mekong Club, alleged that Asia represented about 65 percent of global betting volume, legal and illegal, with the illegal market possibly as much as 10 times larger than the legal market.
