Friday November 7, 2008

Assemblyman pops into illegal gambling dens to check on residents’ complaints

By TAN KARR WEI
Photos by MOHD SAHAR MISNI

THE police department and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) should clamp down on illegal gambling dens in Sungai Way, Petaling Jaya.

“I received complaints from the residents here that there are at least eight illegal gambling dens in the area. Many of the people here are not very well educated and are from the lower-income group, and they are wasting their hard-earned money at these places,” said Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San.

The illegal gambling centres usually operate in shoplots with their shutters down, and entrance is through a side door to the building.

Caught in the act: Some men were seen sitting in front of the personal computers which were operating slot machine games during Lau’s surprise visit to one of the alleged gambling dens

Inside, there would be computers operating slot machines and card games but the method of payment is unclear.

Lau paid a surprise visit to three such operations in SS9A on Wednesday night to highlight the seriousness of the issue and to push the authorities to weed out these illegal centres.

The signboard outside the first shop he visited stated that it was an electrical shop.

The shutters were closed and there was a mamak food stall operating outside.

Front: Lau said most of the gambling dens in Sungai Way operated around the clock in shops that had their shutters down.

“There were about 30 computers in there, and about 10 customers who were shocked to see me. They left when I walked in with the photographers. The customers were of different ages and races,” said Lau.

He said the second shop had fewer people, while the computers had already been shut down at the third outlet.

“I managed to talk to one of the customers and he said he lived around that area. I advised him to go home and to stop coming to these places,” said Lau.

He had first visited the shops in October and had informed the police and the MBPJ about it.

“The police raided the shops but they resumed operations the next day,” said Lau.

MBPJ councillor Tiew Way Keng said she received a report that the council had taken action on a few centres but they resumed operations the same night.

During Lau’s visit, a police patrol car had circled the area four times yet the people there did not seem bothered by the police presence.

Lau said he would lodge a police report based on his findings.