FOUR actors who were promoting an online gambling site in a Hari Raya themed advertisement have been arrested said a source from the Dang Wangi district police station.

The four were involved in a second online gambling video in a Hari Raya themed advertisement.

The source said three men and a woman were picked up in several locations in Ampang yesterday evening.

“All four individuals will be remanded for two days,” the source said without elaborating.

The first Hari Raya-themed online gambling advertisement went viral a day before the second video made rounds on the internet, in relation to which police had already detained nine suspects.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the suspects were actors, agents, a videographer and a producer/director.

“All the arrested admitted they received payments to produce the video, which was shot in two locations – Ampang and Hulu Langat – on March 13, 2021.

“All suspects will be remanded for further investigation,” he said in a statement.

The case was filed under section 504 of the penal code for intentional insult aimed at provoking a breach of the peace and section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.

Acryl said efforts are ongoing to nab the mastermind behind the video.

Kuantan lawmaker Fuziah Salleh said local online betting platform GDBet333 was encouraging Muslims to gamble in the month of Ramadan so that they would have money to celebrate Hari Raya.

She said this was contrary to the meaning of the celebration, which promotes the cleansing of sins.

The advertisement entices Muslims, especially the youth, to sin, she said.

GDBet333 calls itself “Malaysia’s top and trusted online casino”, and offers live dealer betting, slot games, online poker and 4D lotteries.

Its Hari Raya commercial features a catchy song and shows a Muslim man looking for money to balik kampung for Hari Raya.

The lyrics says it is easy it is to get money, with a chorus that goes: “GDBet333 ada, apa nak tunggu, marilah cuba, untung nasibmu, engkau berjaya, cuci semua, kemudian beraya” (GDBet333 is here, what are you waiting for, try it, if you’re lucky, you’ll win, cash out and celebrate Raya).

Links to the ad are no longer accessible.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it had submitted a request to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to remove the advertisement.

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that police are intensifying their efforts to track down the main syndicate which hired the production house that produced the two ads.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (intelligence/operations) Dev Kumar said the initial investigation found that the two videos came from the same production house.

“We will track down the company that hired the production house to make both videos.

“As of now, we only have the producer and actors. They have a middle person, and from there only we can reach the syndicate or person responsible for engaging this production house to produce the videos,” he said in a news conference on the development of the case in Putrajaya, today. – April 18, 2021.