Sarawak police deal death knell to fish, wukong, slot machine gambling

MIRI: Sarawak became the first state to eradicate machine based gambling dens following continuous efforts to crack down on illegal gambling.
State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief SAC Datuk Dev Kumar said illegal four-digit (4D) and cyber-gambling syndicates however continue to operate but less visibly than before.
"Sarawak police have successfully eradicated slot machines in the state. All recreational clubs that operated these machines have closed down for many months now. We are confident that we have seen the end of these machines in Sarawak," he told theSun.
However, Dev stressed that cyber gambling still exists but in a more clandestine manner.
"Since the closure of these cyber gambling outlets in the state, operators continue to feed the gambling addiction by providing reload services and online transactions instead to gamblers using mobile phones.
"After reloading their tablets or phones, these gamblers are able to gamble anywhere, either in coffee shops or their homes," he added.
Dev said state Police Commissioner Datuk Amer Awal wanted police district chiefs to adopt a "no-nonsense approach" against illegal gambling.
On Sept 27, all 14 state police contingents nationwide were instructed to locate and eradicate illegal gaming machine outlets in their respective states.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said this will be a holistic crackdown and they will not only focus on illegal gambling dens but also work with government agencies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to fight online gambling as well.