Are Online Casinos in Malaysia Legal?
If you are looking for a place to go on vacation for, or if you are looking for a foreign land to retire on, going to Southeast Asian countries can be a breath of fresh air and a good dose of a fresh view for anyone. This part of the continent is a favorite for all kinds of tourists–those who are into beaches, those who are into peaceful lands, or those who are into some good city life, and even for those who want to keep the feel of the bright lights and the rush of the Las Vegas life–simply put, gambling.
Naturally, before engaging in any kind of activity on foreign land, you would want to make sure how things work–what are the things you can do, and what are the things that you cannot do. As such, if you are someone who would want to visit Malaysia and you have gambling as one of the things in your mind, you must have a deep understanding of how the laws and regulations in the country regarding gambling.
What you should understand
If you are a gambler and looking to tour in Malaysia, one of the first things you should know is this: you can still play casino games in the country. Right now, the only legal casino establishment in the country is the integrated hill resort Casino de Gentin of the Genting Group. This is located at the Genting Highlands in Pahang. Other than that, no casino or betting establishments are recognized by the government as legal. This is due to the move of the Malaysian government that aimed to control and regulate gambling by stopping the granting of licenses for any betting establishment.
As such, this makes online betting a technically illegal activity in Malaysia. This means that no online casino or betting site operator can operate within the country. However, there is a grey area of uncertainty when it comes to Malaysian citizens betting through offshore sites. What a lot of people recommend for anyone who is into online betting, is to just bet on an offshore site that is preferably based in Europe that accepts international customers.
Laws concerning gambling in Malaysia
There are at least three major laws that influence how online betting, and gambling as a whole, in the country.
Betting Act of 1953
The Betting Act of 1953, simply put, outlaws all forms of sports betting in Malaysia–of course, except the currently recognized casino house in the country. The law can impose a fine of 200,000 ringgits and five years in prison for anyone who will be caught and proven to be operating a betting house illegally. Whether it includes today’s modern online betting sites is unclear.
Common Gaming Houses Act of 1953
This act encompasses all forms of gambling, to the point that one can be criminally prosecuted for not just operating a gaming house but simply even for just being caught inside one.
The law, which is extensive and comprehensive, encompasses every and all possible locations and forms where anyone can do betting and gambling. Still, it has no clear laws against online betting.
Sharia Law
Malaysia is a dominantly Muslim country, with more than 60% of its residents being Muslims. Thus, most of its people are bound by what is called Sharia Law.
The Sharia Law, which all Muslim people are bound to and they must adhere to, considers all forms of gambling–referred to as maisir or qimar–as absolutely forbidden or haram, in Muslim terms. However, non-Muslim people who are in the country are not bound by these laws.…
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Source: Eastern European Gaming
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