KUCHING: A 36-year-old man was fined RM2,500, in default two months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Tuesday (Sept 22) for gambling online in a public place.
Magistrate Leona Dominic Mojiliu imposed the sentence on Mohamad Farez al Rezali after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 7(2) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
Section 7(2) of the Act provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, upon conviction.
The accused was found gambling at the five-foot way of a café near Pasar Tabuan Jaya, Jalan Bayor Bukit, here, at about 3.10pm on Sept 12.
According to the facts of the case, police officers and a raiding team went to the premises following information on suspected gambling activities.
Upon arrival, police spotted the accused behaving suspiciously while allegedly gambling online at the public place.
Police then approached and identified themselves before conducting a further inspection on the accused.
During the inspection, police found a Wiko W-K380 mobile phone containing the online gambling game ‘King of Pop’ on the Mega888 website, along with a piece of paper believed to contain an online gambling identification and password.
The accused was subsequently arrested and the items seized were sent to a gambling expert for analysis.
The expert’s report found elements of computer gambling as defined under Section 2 of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Aqila Morsalin appeared for the prosecution while the accused was unrepresented.
