PETALING JAYA: Are illegal lottery syndicates really unstoppable? Despite various action and initiatives by the authorities over the last 50 years, it is apparent that the illegal lottery menace is not only here to stay, but also growing.
Time and again, we read news of raids on illegal lottery syndicates by police, but they have clearly been ineffective in stamping out the black market bookmakers, who are somehow resurrected, often at the same location to resume business shortly after.
In an effort to uncover how glaring and daring illegal lottery activities are, theSun, with information received from the public, checked out a list of locations said to be operating illegal bookmaking activities.
Our reporters staked out almost 30 venues in the Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan and Malacca on “betting days”, namely Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, over the past month.
After clocking over 600km to trace such activities at remote townships in these states, what they discovered were both disturbing and exasperating.
Illegal lottery activities were very much alive even after intensified police action against the syndicates in recent months.
However, most operators have become more cautious, allowing only familiar faces in to place bet.
And whereas in the past, the bookies operated in the suburbs or rural areas where legitimate 4D outlets were either too far or inconvenient for punters, they now operate in close proximity of licensed outlets.
Our reporters found many illegal bookmaking operations, often in the same row of shophouses as the Sports Toto, Magnum 4D and DaMaCai outlets.
In most cases, illegal bookie activities were side-income for people operating restaurants, coffee-shops, handphone stores, beauty salons, barber shops and even grocery stores.
Some of the outlets were, however, clearly just fronts and the main business must be illegal bookmaking, as there was barely any merchandise in their stores.
Our reporters saw a number of punters who had placed bets at legitimate 4D outlets, later walking to illegal ones to do the same although it is an offence under the law.
So why are illegal bookies operating so close to legal outlets, and why are punters risking arrest and prosecution by taking their bets with the black market?
While most punters were too busy forecasting their 4D numbers and declined empty chat, our reporters managed to strike up conversations with a few and learnt that it was just about convenience, but the promise of bigger prize pay-outs.
“The black market pays out between 10% and 20% higher in prize money, and that can be quite a large sum,” said Vella, a regular 4D player met along a row of shophouses housing a Sports Toto and a Magnum 4D outlet at Taman Senawang Jaya in Senawang, Negri Sembilan.
“Of course everyone is aware it is illegal, and there is a risk, but I have never heard of a punter getting caught and prosecuted,“ he said.
Asked where the closest DaMaCai outlet was, Vella replied: “Why bother? There are about five black market 4D outlets along here and the opposite row of shophouses.
“Buy your numbers from them. Dont worry, it is safe and they can be trusted. They will pay if you win. I know a friend who won over RM100,000 and received his prize the next day,” he said,
One of our reporters approached a bookie seated inside a locked sundry shop next to the Magnum 4D outlet to place a bet but was turned down although another man had just moments earlier handed over to him a chit scribbled with numbers and payment.
When the reporter asked why he could not “buy some numbers” from him, the man who was apparently suspicious, retorted in Bahasa Malaysia: “We don’t write numbers here. You’ve got the wrong place.”
On Saturday evening, just two hours before betting for 4D games close at 7pm, the row of shophouses was a hive of activity, with punters placing bets with both legal and illegal operators.
It was easier when our reporter tried to place some bets with another bookie – a woman in her late 30’s who ran the illegal business on the sides while running a handphone store at Taman Megaway, Seremban.
Our reporter simply took a piece of paper from a plastic container on the her showcase, wrote down a sets of 4D numbers he wanted to bet on, and handed it to her.
The woman then pulled out a handheld device with a number pad and typed out the numbers, and a ‘ticket’ with the bets printed out, rolled out from the top.
Apparently nonchalant about dealing with an unfamiliar person, she then went on to serve the next punter who had walked in and waited to be served.
At a mini market in Taman Semabok Jaya, Malacca, two youths squatting behind the cashier’s counter served punters by printing out 4D tickets, while an elderly man who is believed to be the owner of the place, took betting slips and payments.
At another mini market in Taman Malim Jaya, Malacca, a young woman at the cash register nonchalantly accepted bets when approached by our reporter.
However, she did not have a device to print out tickets. Instead, she signed the paper handed to her with certain codes and characters, before handing back the handwritten betting slip and taking payment.
(Incidentally, one of the numbers our reporter bet with her, won the consolation prize that day, but we made no attempt to claim the cash prize.)
We also checked out suspected bookies at Kajang Prima and Klang, namely Taman Berkeley, Taman Klang Jaya, Taman Sentosa Jaya and Bandar Puteri, where they operated covertly, with a few denying being involved in the activity when approached.
Not all our tips paid off. We also staked-out other locations in Jasin and Tampin, but there was no sign of such activities, possibly because they ceased their illegitimate businesses due to police enforcement.
