ALOR STAR: All 4D gambling outlets in Kedah are allowed to carry on operations until the end of this year.
State Health and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mohd Hayati Othman this was decided as the Finance Ministry had renewed the operators' license until Dec 31.
He said told the state assembly today that the ministry had already renewed the 4D gambling outlets license, prior to the announcement made by Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor last November.
"The Finance Ministry has informed us that that it had renewed all the licences applied by the operators until 31 Dec 2022, before the announcement made the by the menteri besar.
"After taking into account the legal implications, the state government has decided that the license for gambling premises under the Number Forecast Operator (NFO) Agents and association clubs in the state are allowed to continue until Dec 31 as approved by the MoF," he told the House during his winding up speech today.
Dr Hayati said as for today, only one out of 45 licensed 4D gambling premises had ceased operations while the other 44 outlets were still operational until their license expired in stages.
"We hope the premises operators will make good use during this period to find alternative business to build sustainable income.
"The state government has requested the local governments, district offices and the police as well as other relevant agencies to monitor and carry out enforcement to ensure that Kedah is free from gambling activities by Jan 1, 2023," he said.
On Nov 14, Sanusi had announced the state government's decision to neither approve new gambling licences nor renew existing licenses once they expire.
He had also announced that the state government would impose stricter regulations for liquor sales in areas with low market demand.
#kw Kedah Assembly, 4D gambling, license, Ministry of Finance, Sanusi