The government is considering legalising sports betting in view of the World Cup matches in June, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said today.
He said the government is considering this as illegal betting causes the government to lose hundreds of millions of ringgit a year in revenue to illegal bookmakers.
"Of course, we don’t want to appear as though we encourage gambling and gaming but it will arise, in any case. They (illegal bookies) will do it. So, the question is whether it’s a good idea to leave them on their own, unregulated or if the government should try to regulate and do it in such a manner that’s controlled," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.
"Also, we know that at the same time the government will get revenue from this (thus it) is something the government considers seriously."
He did not say how soon the decision will be made. "It cannot be done once the World Cup is over. We’ll have to wait as to when exactly," he said.
Asked if there are parties who have indicated their interest in obtaining gaming licences, Awang Adek said there were many parties but refused to provide further details.
"The government has not decided, so it’s not fair to reveal the names of the parties applying but once the government decides then everyone will know," he said.
Asked if the legalisation is specifically for the World Cup, he said: "If we decide for the World Cup, then we can’t differentiate this. It will have to be other games as well."
Earlier, in the Dewan Negara, Ng Fook Heng asked if the government intended to issue gambling licences to prevent illegal betting.
Awang Adek said the government is viewing the matter seriously as illegal betting can also create room for other illegal activities such as unlicensed money lending and money laundering.
He also said the government currently does not have a figure on the revenue received from illegal betting but added that it could be hundreds of millions of ringgit.
Awang Adek also said the revenue from gaming is used for sports development in the country
Pakatan protests Govern move to mull about legalise World Cup betting.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have slammed a proposal to legalise sports betting, accusing the government of prioritising profit over social well-being.
The government confirmed yesterday that it was considering awarding a licence for sports betting ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in June, in what is seen as a move to boost flagging revenues.
PR leaders said they had long anticipated this move and had started an anti-gambling task force to pressure the government against legalising the vice.
They contend that legalising sports betting would have a negative social impact.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke said rumours the government was mulling the move had reached him a while back and this was raised in Parliament at the March sitting.
No answer was given then, said Loke, who leads the pact’s anti-gambling task force.
“This move shows that the government works in secrecy. There was never any consultation with the public and I am sure that the public would have a different opinion on the issue,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin told reporters in Parliament yesterday that legal football betting was being considered to contain the expected spread of illegal betting activities during the World Cup.
However, PR leaders have viewed the move as a means to replenish drying state coffers.
“The government is very desperate to raise its revenue to bridge the wide deficit gap,” Loke remarked.
“But what they are doing is encouraging gambling in society, especially among the young. More people will get into gambling, which will spill into more social problems like the spurring of loan sharks. It will tear apart the social fabric,” he added.
PAS central working committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had compromised its own morality by agreeing to legalise sports betting.
“I question what is in the conscience of (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) and especially all the muftis who are backing the BN government.
“In one breath, he is portraying this virtuous image, but on the other, he is allowing what then-premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to put on hold,” said Dzulkefly, who sits on the task force on behalf of PAS.
Najib has been tapping gaming companies to boost revenue for the government since before he became prime minister in April last year.
A month after Najib assumed the Finance Ministry portfolio in September 2008, the government stealthily awarded an additional 10 special draws a year to three gaming companies, in a move to boost flagging government revenues ahead of the economic slowdown.
The number forecast operators involved were Magnum, Tanjong and Tan Sri Vincent Tan’s Berjaya Sports Toto.
The Kuala Selangor MP said Najib risks staining the image of his own Umno party, which supposedly thrives on the “religion, race and country” motto, saying the new policy would “throw all that out the window”.
“It does not even meet the minimal aspects of morality let alone Islamic values,” said the PAS leader.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
