KUCHING: A late-night online gambling session at a Kota Sentosa cafe cost a 35-year-old man a RM2,500 fine after he was brought before the Magistrates’ Court here, today (May 4).
Magistrate Leona Dominic Mojiliu imposed the fine on Mohamad Farezal Rezali, in default four months’ imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 7(2) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
The offence is punishable with a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both upon conviction.
The court heard that the accused, who was unrepresented, had been using his mobile phone to gamble in a public place at a cafe along Jalan Penrissen at about 10.45 pm on Feb 27.
According to the facts of the case, a police team from the Padawan district police headquarters carried out an operation dubbed “Op Dadu” at the premises, leading to the arrest of the accused.
A search conducted at the scene uncovered a Redmi mobile phone believed to have been used for gambling, a slip of paper containing login credentials, a Unifi WiFi modem, and RM40 in cash.
Further investigations revealed that the mobile phone had a gambling application known as “918Kiss”, and the accused was caught in the act of gambling online during the raid.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan.
