WHILE there seems to be no end to the mushrooming of gambling dens in Selangor, state authorities are looking into measures to curb the menace that has long been a thorn in their side.

According to statistics from the Selangor state government, raids, gambling machines seized, individuals charged and money confiscated have escalated from January to May this year.

The report 13% more raids were conducted this year, from 1,641 to 1,854 compared with the same period from January to May last year.

The report also showed a 60% increase of those charged during the same period, along with a 9% increase in money that was confiscated from RM133,539 to RM145,566 from the outlets.

However, the opposition controlled administration is not taking this lightly as they are mulling to ban licenses for family entertainment outlets following a freeze by the Malacca government last month.

The Malaysian Insight recently checked out several dens in Section 14, Paramount Gardens, Subang Jaya and several snooker centres, some of which are gambling dens.

In Paramount Garden, an illegal gambling den lies hidden amidst a row of shoplots in a commercial area.

The facade of the building looks like a regular snooker parlour to patrons, but located at the back of its premises is a room where the action takes place.

Here, patrons can indulge in online gaming such as roulette, blackjack and various forms of slot machine games.

Patrons will have to purchase tokens to be added to the game of their choice. Once they have accumulated enough wins, they can either cash out or continue to play.

Another popular spot is a gambling arcade located on the second floor of a shopping Mall in Subang Jaya, which had all its shutters down except for the entrance.

Inside, there are five tables where patrons, mostly college students and blue collar workers, are seen playing the games.

A neighbouring outlet manager, who declined to be named, said it has been operating for years.

“The shopping centre went through a major facelift about eight months ago, but the gaming outlet is still here.

“We have no issues with the outlet as long as they don’t disrupt our activities,” he said.

Gambling lifestyle

A gambler who wants to be known as Ken said that he has been gambling for the past 15 years at various outlets around the Klang Valley.

“I have been gambling since 15 years old. I first started playing the horse racing derby games at the local arcade near my house in Bangsar. The game used to cost only 20sen per bet.

“I used to win quite often and that’s what prompted me to return at least twice or three times a week with my pocket money to win some cash.”

Ken said that as he grew older the games have also changed – the old games were phased out and online gambling was introduced.

“About 10 years ago, there were many outlets all over Klang Valley. There are still many outlets, but, the choices at urban areas have reduced due to the crackdown by authorities,” he said.

Ken said that now he only frequents the outlets once or twice a week when he gets his salary.

“I try not to gamble my salary away, but sometimes that happens when I’m caught up in the moment. I’m trying now to control this habit,” he said.

Hotspots and raids conducted

In 2016, the authorities conducted a total of 4,874 successful raids all around the state. The five hotspots are Petaling Jaya where 3,339 raids were conducted, South Klang (690), Kajang (526), Sungai Buloh (437) and Subang Jaya (415).

Authorities had arrested 5,962 individuals and 2,458 charges was brought against the culprits. Enforcement teams had also confiscated 61,281 machines and RM428,468 from the outlets.

From January to May this year, 1,854 raids have been conducted with 1,770 individuals arrested and 889 culprits charged. Authorities also confiscated 20,620 machines and RM145,566 from illegal premises during the raids.

Freezing Licenses

Malacca had become the first state to stop issuing new licenses for family entertainment centres following Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar’s call to freeze the licences.

Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron had said his government will begin reviewing such licenses to see if anyone is abusing them.

Idris also said the freeze will help them collect the latest data relating to the licences and will immediately revoke the licenses of those found to be flouting its conditions.

Khalid had said that it is unfair to blame the police for the prevalence of gambling dens in the country as local governments have the authority to act on them.

He then called on all local governments to stop issuing such licenses as there are already too many cases of operators abusing the licenses to run gambling dens.

Meanwhile, Selangor Mentri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said the government is willing to consider the IGP’s proposal.

He said that the Selangor government feels that any unhealthy activities like illegal gambling should be stopped to ensure the community’s safety.

Azmin said this effort requires the cooperation of all parties including the police, local authorities and the state government. – June 18, 2017.