KUCHING: The Magistrate’s Court here has ordered a 19-year-old youth to be of good behaviour for one year for involvement in online gambling activities.
Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan made the order after reviewing the social report on the teenager prepared by the Social Welfare Department (JKM).
He had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge framed under Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953. Upon conviction, the offence carries a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
According to the case facts, at around 3:55 pm on April 23, during ‘Op Dadu’, a police team raided a 24-hour convenience store in Jalan Singai-Matang to detect gambling activities.
After conducting a five-minute observation at the premises, the complainant introduced himself as a police officer to a teenage boy who was seated at a table.
Further checks led to the discovery of a mobile phone containing elements of online gambling.
The teenager was arrested, and several items believed to be used for gambling – including the phone, a pen, a piece of paper printed with a gambling ID number, and RM101 in cash – were seized.
Investigations later confirmed through an expert report that the phone used by the teen contained records of online gambling bets.
