Online gambling cases double in Sarawak during Covid-19

Cases involving young people caught online gambling doubled under Covid-19 lockdowns in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. 

Sarawak Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said 1,292 online gambling cases were reported in the first eight months of this year compared to 608 cases reported for the same period last year.

“The increase in online gambling cases is probably due to the youths being holed up in their homes because of MCO (lockdown),” he was cited by local media as saying.

Also showing an increase is indoor gambling activities, namely 69 cases from January to August this year compared to 34 cases over the past year, while 84 cases of open gambling were recorded from January to August this year compared to 59 cases for the period January to December last year. 

 

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