ZAHID'S DRAMA OF THE YEAR? Can he take out the gaming syndicates with the cops so entrenched in the underworld?

Just as promised by the home minister, a nationwide crackdown on Internet gaming casinos or cyber casinos is in full swing, and it looks as if this menace is finally going to be eliminated as over the years thousands of cyber casinos have mushroomed all over the country.

Is home minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, delivering as he has promised true to the Barisan Nasional’s style which many Malaysians have difficulty believing in? Or is this just another false dawn? It waits to be seen.

But gaming industry experts and other pundits contend that what should actually be done is to issue licences to these cyber casinos, limit their numbers and regulate them firmly.

Cracking down on cyber casinos have been done in the past and proven to be an exercise in futility. Although this time round the action is a move in concert with a number of government departments, many people feel it is still expected to meet with failure.

Remote gambling a fad

This is because many Malaysians believe the cyber casinos or remote gambling is the fad and fashion for now and is here to stay. Zahid is fuming mad over the activity but unfortunately the vice-kingpins that oversee the trade are streets ahead of him.

The underworld kingpins that ply this business are long established and reportedly had links with police officers from the Polis Di Raja Malaysia to be on the lookout for them against any punitive action and this is why cyber casinos have been thriving.

Another reason is that with growing affluence in this country, Malaysians of all walks of life have learnt to develop a penchant for gambling. A gambling culture has evolved and there is a growing interest in both legal and illegal gambling.

Legal and illegal gambling

From legal gambling like horse racing, the Genting Highlands casino to playing lottery and digit games to illegal activities like internet gaming, football betting, playing mahjong in the secrecy of a premise or cock-fighting, Malaysians are waging billions of ringgit annually.

This is why in gambling mad Malaysia gaming experts state that it is best to issue permits and give approval to gambling activities and garner the revenue that is being lost from gaming which accounts to billions of ringgit annually.

While these experts opine that this lost revenue can be utilized to develop and improve the infrastructure of the country, Zahid and other Islamic-based organizations and individuals are dead set against the idea.

It is precisely because of the obstinacy of the authorities that illegal gambling has gone underground and flourishes and attracts people from all communities despite the risks.

Zahid’s angry reaction

All this is anathema to the ears of Zahid and his current blitz appears to be working but whether it will meet with the desired final result is a guessing game for Malaysians and most of them are willing to bet that the craze of gambling will not go away.

But Zahid’s biggest concern over cracking down on internet gaming is due to the fact that it has started to create a number of very serious social ills. From borrowing from loan sharks or “Ah Long’s” to problem gambling, depression and suicide cases, the list of social ills is growing.

An even bigger reason why Zahid this time round has come down hard on internet gaming operators is due to the fact that hordes of Malays have become drawn and attracted to these cyber casinos despite gambling being prohibited by the Islamic religion.

Whether or not the home ministry’s bold initiative will finally pay off remains a guessing game but for now there appears to be no single cyber casino in operation in the country nationwide and it really looks like Zahid means business this time.

But will it be business as usual?

But already those who circulate in cyber space are not fretting much as they believe once it’s all quiet again these activities will resume underground as the fear of being apprehended by the police now means these gamblers at present can get off with merely a warning or a fine only.

For those bent on waging bets in this industry, it’s a small price to pay for getting caught and this is why both operators of cyber casinos and punters are unperturbed by the lax laws in place and most Malaysians are of the feeling that this is not really a criminal activity but an enjoyable pastime.

This is why Zahid and the home ministry is being closely watched by Malaysians as to how finally this craze of cyber casino gambling will finally come to an end as right now the jury is out and the final verdict has not actually been delivered.

This is how it seems to be for now, a certain standoff having taken place by defiant operators of the lucrative internet gaming industry and the authorities and it is a question of how long this ban is effective and if internet gaming activities will eventually resume.

Perhaps more thoughtful and prudent and wise measures that are practical and workable should be devised by the home ministry along with mechanisms in place to ensure that Malaysians are not held to ransom by triads who prey on their weakness for waging bets.

Zahid’s retort is that the archaic and obsolete gaming laws in this country will be amended soon and new laws to curb remote gambling put in place.

But like the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots and Malaysians have become so entrenched in this activity that the reality of it all seems to be missed by the well-meaning but out-of-sync home minister. - MAILBAG