Putrajaya should not be proud of reducing the number of “special draws” for 4D lottery numbers and instead be committed to eradicating gambling completely, said PAS’ ulama wing.
In a statement today, ulama wing head Ahmad Yahya (above) urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to emulate the PAS-led Kedah government’s decision to close all number-betting outlets in the state.
“The PAS ulama wing urges Putrajaya to show the same political will. They should not just be proud of reducing the number of draws while gambling premises are still allowed to operate.
“There must be policies to educate the public based on religious teachings. There is no evidence that gambling is good for society. It is an illusion,” he said.
Yesterday, all number-betting shops in Kedah were forced to close as their business licences - which are controlled by the local authorities - were not renewed.
One of Anwar’s earliest policy decisions was to cut down the number of “special draws” from 22 to just eight.
All number-betting operators in Malaysia conduct “normal draws” on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.
In 1999, Putrajaya introduced the “special draw” on Tuesdays to raise tax collections. This was conducted 22 times a year and became an important source of revenue, generating around RM200 million.
The first Pakatan Harapan administration reduced the number of “special draws” to 11 in 2019 and eight in 2020.
However, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government quietly brought it back to 22 in 2021.
When reducing the number of “special draws” after taking power, Anwar claimed some gambling operators funded PN’s GE15 war chest. - Mkini
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