KUCHING: A 42-year-old man was fined RM2,500, in default one month’s imprisonment, by the Magistrate’s Court here on Tuesday (Feb 24) for engaging in online gambling at a public place.
Mohammad Jalil pleaded guilty to the charge before senior assistant registrar Syazwani Sajeli.
He was charged under Section 7(2) of the Gaming House Act 1953, which carries a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
According to the charge sheet, he committed the offence at about 4pm on Feb 10 at a café in Tabuan Jaya.
The facts of the case revealed that police arrested Jalil during “Ops Dadu” on the same day for allegedly being involved in online gambling activities using a special gambling app known as 918Kiss.
Items seized included a black Realme mobile phone and a piece of paper containing letters and numbers believed to be a gambling ID and password.
Investigations found that Jalil was openly involved in online gambling activities at a public place using his smartphone through the 918Kiss app, which had been downloaded onto the device.
The gambling was based on a “game of chance” concept and did not require any specific skills.
Top-ups for the online gambling platform were in the form of points, purchased from the organiser at a rate of RM1 per point.
The points could then be multiplied through various gambling games available on the 918Kiss platform.
If he won and successfully multiplied the points purchased, the points could be sold or converted back to the organiser in exchange for cash as winnings.
A gambling expert’s analysis of the seized mobile phone confirmed the presence of elements of online gambling.
As such, Jalil had committed an offence under Section 7(2) of the Gaming House Act 1953.
The prosecution was conducted by Inspector Nurshafiqa Nyaie Ilin while Jalil was unrepresented.
