While many countries around the world still may lack a clear-cut way of regulating their gambling industries, the majority is unequivocal when it comes to enforcing the law in the case of illegal gambling. Malaysia is one such place where underhand operators are not treated kindly by authorities.

In a recent ride in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Johor, Malaysia, authorities apprehended five Indonesian men who are tied to an illegal gambling organization. They were used as intermediaries between gamblers and websites that offered games of chance to consumers and carried out deposits and withdrawals for participants.

According to authorities and police chief Ayob Khan, the five men are linked to a gambling syndicate that operates online gambling websites around the clock and has been running operations for the past nine months.

Authorities were tipped by members of the public who became aware of the illegal operations and contacted police. Apparently, the syndicate was targeting local customers which led to their arrest. However, investigators took a while to be able to put together a case before they conducted the operation. The evidence collected during the raid will also help them

Online Gambling as Modus Operandi

Police then proceeded with an investigation that established that the suspects facilitated operations for three online websites. The Indonesian nationals had entered the country in 2019 before the pandemic had started, and border controls were tightened.

While there are many cases in Southeast Asia where individuals are forced to participate in illegal gambling operations against their will, the suspects were not forced into labor but chose to do so out of their own volition, owing to lucrative remuneration that proved too much of a temptation for the culprits.

The suspects were paid $475 monthly, outside of additional incentives that were extended in the form of bonuses depending on performance. During the raid, the police seized numerous assets, including a tablet, three laptops, 15 mobile phones connected to different operators, four wireless modems, and house keys.

The region has known its fair share of people being exploited at illegal gambling operations, whether by criminal syndicates or with the complacence of local authorities. However, officially, many governments across Southeast Asia remain gung-ho and ever vigilant against illegal gambling.