Malaysia Police Arrest 282 in Nationwide Raids on Online Gambling and Illegal Lotteries

Malaysian police arrested 282 people in a nationwide operation against online gambling and unlicensed lottery outlets that ended Nov. 1, the head of the force's criminal investigation department said on Nov. 2.

The raids hit 201 premises across the country, including Sabah and Sarawak, according to Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency. Police say the syndicates hid behind ordinary cafes, grocery stores and phone shops to avoid detection.

Police Name Winbox and Alibaba Syndicates

Datuk M. Kumar, who directs the Criminal Investigation Department at police headquarters in Bukit Aman, said 108 of the premises were linked to online gambling and 93 to unlicensed lottery sales. The operation was called Ops Dadu Khas.

Those arrested were aged 20 to 65: 229 men and 53 women. Kumar said 59 were foreign workers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh who were allegedly hired by local syndicates to mind the premises, RTM reported.

Officers seized tablets, phones, portable printers and RM32,149 ($7,900) in cash.

Kumar said investigators had identified syndicates operating under the names Winbox and Alibaba and were tracking their leaders.

Kumar said the syndicates can close one location and open another the next day. All they need is Wi-Fi, he said, because both the betting and the payments happen online.

Money Laundering Probe and Power Cuts Come Next

The suspects are being investigated under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and the Immigration Act, Bernama reported. Police are also opening money-laundering inquiries, with the gambling offenses as the underlying crime.

All 282 were held for one to four days of questioning. Kumar said police will ask for electricity to be cut at all 201 premises once investigations finish. They will also work with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to remove online gambling ads from social media.

The raids follow similar pressure elsewhere in the region, including Thailand's plan to bring Meta and TikTok into its fight against gambling ads. What remains open is whether prosecutors file charges against those arrested, and whether police reach the people running Winbox and Alibaba.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.