News of the Royal Malaysia Police cracking down on football gambling activities nationwide recently hit the headlines.
In a statement on Nov 29, federal police said 152 individuals had been detained, between Nov 19 and Nov 28, for their alleged involvement in gambling activities in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, the statement was silent about details of the modus operandi of the bookies, as bets are expected to rise with the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar entering into the knockout stages.
While some may applaud the arrests made, it is equally important to understand the manner in which sports bookies are operating in Malaysia.
Sports betting is illegal in this Southeast Asian nation. Yet, Malaysians have been in the thick of global betting syndicates and were linked to leagues and agents in Australia, India, England and Brunei.
Mumbai FC vice-president Atul Bagdamia, in 2013, claimed that he had received a call from a Malaysian, promising the Indian club an all-expenses-paid trip to play friendlies in Malaysia. Bagdamia told Reuters he claimed the Malaysian had also suggested to fix I-League matches.
Former director of Sport Integrity at the International Centre for Sport and Security, Chris Eaton, was aware of the claims made by Atul and, in 2014, had said that Malaysian syndicates were connected to Australia and England, and Brunei.
Sports betting, mostly on football and badminton, has risen over the past decade. Despite the repeated busts, online betting sites continue to thrive as their servers are mostly based abroad, beyond the jurisdiction of local police.
The outflow of the Malaysian ringgit, to the tune of millions, is staggering on a typical weekend that sees Premier League action. The same can be said about the World Cup, and the outflow is expected to continue till the final match, on Dec 18.
The problem is not exclusive to Malaysia alone. Authorities in Singapore, days before the World Cup kicked off, had advised Singaporeans to “exercise personal responsibility when gambling”, warning that police would clamp down on those who do so illegally.
Authorities in Thailand had also anticipated the same, with researchers at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce expecting Thais to wager up to US$1.6 billion on the World Cup.
Hong Kong actress Bui Yee-lam, popularly known as Chantale Belle, was among seven social media influencers nabbed by local police last Sunday for allegedly using online platforms to promote gambling websites that accepted bets on World Cup football matches.
Understanding the complexity of the football betting web and its possible links to syndicates abroad can help stakeholders take concrete and informed decisions in tackling the menace. There needs to be serious conversations about the possibility of legalising sports betting, to ensure the government is able to earn revenue in the form of taxes and to curb the outflow of the ringgit.
Some have argued that legalising sports betting goes against local culture and religious values.
However, it has been pointed out repeatedly that the National Sports Council receives between RM40 million and RM50 million annually from lottery company Berjaya Sports Toto and the money is used, among others, to fund the council and programmes for the national athletes.
Former Finance Minister II, Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, had in 2016, said regulating sports betting would not ensure the long-standing menace would be eliminated.
There is also a need to study the societal aspects of sports betting. With it currently being unregulated, punters will continue to spend money, even if it means borrowing from loan sharks. This will see more people being buried in debt, causing additional financial woes and wrecking relationships and family institutions.
Making public the latest modus operandi employed by these syndicates will also help other government agencies, like the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to find ways to frustrate such activities, until a realistic, viable solution is found.
If such information is not forthcoming, Malaysians will continue reading about the small busts by the local enforcement agencies, while the nation continues to struggle with the economic and societal implications brought about by this scourge.
