PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked 6,381 online gambling websites from 2020 until the end of 2022 upon the official request from the police.
It said that a total of 212,399 telephone lines, including mobile and fixed lines, that sent dubious SMS spam, like promoting online gambling, unlicensed loans and others, were also terminated during that period.
"Following a consumer association’s request for online gambling platforms to be regulated, MCMC is always committed to supporting police enforcement actions to crack down on online gambling activities that are subject to the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289).
"The police carries out actions and enforcement while the MCMC’s role is to provide technical assistance to them, including the provision of information and the blocking of gambling websites based on requests from the police," the MCMC said in a statement on Sunday (Feb 5).
According to the MCMC, in addition to enforcement actions (prosecution or sanctions), self-awareness, education and self-control are also vital in efforts to combat online gambling.
He said that users, in general, could also play a role in efforts to block online gambling promotion activities by reporting to the MCMC the promotion of gambling advertisements received via SMS so that online cancellation can be carried out with the cooperation of telecommunications service providers.
"If users receive gambling advertisements through short messaging applications such as WhatsApp and social media like Facebook, report the number or social media account to the application service or social media platform providers so that the number or account cannot send online gambling promotional advertisements to other users," he said. - Bernama
