KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government is willing to assist federal authorities in combating online gambling in the state.
State Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee chairman Hilmi Abdullah said the Pas government has never issued gambling licences since it took over the state in 1990.
However, several business operators have been found to have breached the conditions of their licence by running gambling activities.
"The state government does not deny that online gambling activities exist behind business premises such as phone accessory shops in Kelantan.
"We take this issue seriously but it is not within our jurisdiction to act. We can only revoke licences for violations of terms.
"Local council enforcement officers can take this action. Further action has to be taken by the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
"However, the local councils can assist the police and MCMC in combating this menace," he told reporters after the state executive council meeting today.
Hilmi added that business operators could have their licence revoked for breaching the Licence and Trade by-law (Actb171) of the Local Government Act.
On Sunday, Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun was reported as saying that they did not deny the existence of online gambling in the state.(
Since January, Zaki said, there had been 83 arrests related to online gambling, of which 48 cases were taken to court.
Last year, 163 gambling-related arrests were made, with 99 cases prosecuted.
He further said online gambling in the state involved numbers forecasting and cockfighting, among others.
Also on Sunday, a People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) member lodged a report claiming there were at least 10 online gambling outlets operating in the state.
In his report, the 46-year-old man claimed that these outlets were in several districts, including Kota Baru, Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas, and have been in operation since January.
He said the information came from friends who lived in these areas and that he had evidence, such as video recordings, to support his claims.
Meanwhile, Noor Hafsham Halim, one of the villagers who accompanied the man, claimed that there were about 40 online gambling premises throughout Kelantan.