Malaysian MP Urges Permanent Task Force Against Illegal Online Gambling in Sarawak

Malaysian MP Kelvin Yii has called on federal and state authorities to set up a permanent joint task force to tackle illegal online gambling in Sarawak. He argues that enforcement should go beyond raids, as operators keep finding ways to resume business after police action.

Under the proposal, the body would bring together the Royal Malaysia Police, Bank Negara Malaysia, the communications regulator MCMC and local government councils. It would hold a permanent legal mandate to pursue syndicate leaders and freeze their financial networks. Its other tasks would include revoking business licences and speeding up the closure of unlicensed gambling websites.

The idea is to place financial investigations, action against physical premises and online regulation within a single enforcement framework. Rather than treating these as separate parts of a criminal enterprise, the new organisation would target the syndicates themselves along with the places where they operate. The payment networks that allow such groups to function would also be a focus.

Yii said convenience stores and local coffee shops are being used as fronts for illegal online gambling. These premises reportedly sell gambling top-up cards and offer places where people gather to bet. He said such activity has spread from the state capital, Kuching, into smaller towns and rural areas. The proposed power to revoke local business licences is meant to address this physical side of the market.

Law enforcement data show that Sarawak police made nearly 5,000 arrests between 2022 and 2025. Over the same period, police asked MCMC to block nearly 1,500 gambling websites. Yii questioned whether current enforcement programmes are sufficient, saying operators can restart quickly after police intervene and the problem therefore persists despite repeated action.

His concern centres on the difference between acting against an operation and preventing its return. In his view, arrests and website restrictions have not stopped illegal operators from reopening, which is why he is pressing for a permanent, coordinated structure.