PENANG police have claimed to have put the kibosh on 99% of illegal gambling in the island state, following months of raids by officers.

State police chief Chuah Ghee Lye said since January this year, police have raided 215 gambling dens, arrested 268 people and 384 players. Officers also seized 448 simulators, 633 slot machines, four mobile phones, and RM81,000 in cash.

Chuah said police had the electricity cut to 25 gambling premises operating illegally.

Officers also sent 62 letters asking the local councils to revoke entertainment licences for operators in violation of their permits, he said.

“The measures have forced operators of illegal gambling outlets to stop. We have also been inspecting and raiding every month to make sure they do not reopen.

“We believe some are still operating quietly, but we can say use of illegal gambling machines is 99% stopped,” he said.

Police have launched two separate anti-gambling operations this year: one in March and another in late May, which is still ongoing.

Last month, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ordered Penang police to eradicate illegal gambling within its borders.

Zahid said it was the largest problem in Penang and he was concerned that kingpins were making contributions to political parties with the general election coming.

In Malacca recently, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also arrested nine senior police officials for allegedly being on the payroll of illegal gambling den operators. After the MACC crackdown, many operators reportedly fled the state.

Previously, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and MCA deputy president Dr Wee Ka Siong had a well publicised media row over Penang’s supposed gambling problem.

Wee singled out Penang and Selangor as key problem areas, but Lim denied his accusation.

Chuah said the police would continue to run operations until illegal gambling was eradicated and encouraged the public to notify the police of suspicious activity. – July 18, 2017.