Guide · the law
Gambling law in Malaysia, explained from the statutes
In one line: only government-licensed operators are legal, no online casino is among them, and players have been fined in 2026.
The short answer
Gambling in Malaysia is legal only through operators the government licenses: one casino, at Resorts World Genting, and a small number of numbers forecast and lottery operators. No online casino holds a Malaysian licence. In October 2023 the Court of Appeal ruled that online gambling is an offence under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and that the prosecution only has to show gambling took place on computers, not that gaming machines were on the premises.[28] For Muslims, state Syariah law makes any gambling an offence.[26]
The five Acts that matter
Malaysian gambling law is spread across five federal Acts, all published by the Attorney General’s Chambers. The texts we read are reprints that include amendments up to 1 January 2006.[21]
| Act | What it does |
|---|---|
| Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289) | Suppresses common gaming houses, public gaming and public lotteries. Section 27A lets the Minister of Finance license gaming for up to three months at a time.[21] |
| Betting Act 1953 (Act 495) | Suppresses betting houses and betting in public places.[22] |
| Pool Betting Act 1967 (Act 384) | Lets the Minister of Finance issue pool betting licences that last one calendar year and can be renewed. Magnum and Sports Toto operate under section 5.[23] |
| Lotteries Act 1952 (Act 288) | Provides permits for lotteries run for charitable, religious, educational and welfare purposes, and a lottery tax.[24] |
| Racing (Totalizator Board) Act 1961 (Act 494) | Sets up the Totalizator Board; covers numbers forecast totalizators. Da Ma Cai operates under it.[25] |
The Common Gaming Houses Act came into force in Peninsular Malaysia on 25 June 1953 and in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan on 15 April 1992.[21]
What a player can be fined
Two sections of the Common Gaming Houses Act reach ordinary players. Gaming in a common gaming house carries a fine of up to RM5,000, up to six months in prison, or both, and anyone found in such a place is presumed to have been gaming unless they prove otherwise (sections 6(1) and 6(2)). Gaming in a public place carries the same maximum, police may arrest without a warrant, and the gaming instruments can be forfeited (section 7).[21]
These are not dead letters. On 7 September 2026 a Kuching magistrate fined a 55-year-old man RM2,700, with three months in jail if he did not pay, under section 7(2), for playing a game on the 918Kiss website on his phone at a café.[27] Penalties for running a gaming house are far heavier: RM5,000 to RM50,000 and up to three years in prison, plus RM5,000 to RM50,000 for every gaming machine seized; helping run a public lottery carries RM20,000 to RM200,000 and up to five years.[21]
Syariah law for Muslims
Each state has its own Syariah criminal enactment. In Selangor, section 17 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995 makes it an offence for a Muslim to gamble or to be found in a gambling house, with a fine of up to RM3,000, up to two years in prison, or both.[26] We read the Selangor text only; other states have their own enactments. The licensed operators reflect this rule: Genting and the Da Ma Cai numbers forecast operator both bar Muslim customers.[1][15]
Who grants licences
The Ministry of Finance approves gambling licences, and local councils issue premises licences once that approval exists.[35] The ministry says it has issued no new gambling licences or permits since the end of 2022, that the licences in force rest on approvals made since the 1990s, and in an October 2026 parliamentary reply that no new licences are being issued.[35][36] We found no published government list of licensed operators, which is why this site sets out the operators’ own legal bases in its reviews, starting with the Genting casino review.
The local side can bite. In August 2026 the Federal Court rejected Kedah’s leave application over its halt on gambling premises licences, and both listed 4D groups report outlets in Kedah and Perlis closed or suspended.[35][11][12]
Sabah and Sarawak
East Malaysia has its own numbers games. In Sarawak, Special Cash Sweep is Sarawak Turf Club’s number forecast lottery, with Natural Avenue Sdn Bhd, a Berjaya Assets subsidiary, as its exclusive agent; it began in August 1995 under the Pool Betting Act 1967.[16] Draws are on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and special draw days, and nobody under 21 may buy or claim.[17][18]
In Sabah, the Sabah 88 website lists 3D, 4D and lotto games under the copyright line Lotteries Corporation Sdn Bhd.[19] STC 4D’s site describes itself as Sandakan Turf Club and as licensed by the Ministry of Finance.[20] We could not confirm the legal basis of either, so we report what their sites say and nothing more.
Blocking and the draft online gambling law
Gambling falls mainly under police jurisdiction through the Common Gaming Houses Act, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocks sites under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Online Safety Act 2025. Between 1 January 2025 and 31 May 2026, internet providers blocked 1,778 gambling websites at MCMC’s request and 457,562 gambling-related items were taken down.[31] From 2022 to 1 February 2025 the figure was 5,026 websites blocked.[32]
In February 2026 the Deputy Prime Minister said a law against illegal and online gambling was being drafted and could be tabled at the next sitting of the Dewan Rakyat; it was undecided whether it would be a new Act or amendments to existing law.[29][30] We found no report that it has been tabled as of 28 October 2026. The top 10 list explains what this means for the offshore sites Malaysians actually use.
Questions readers ask
Is it illegal to gamble online in Malaysia?
Yes. The Court of Appeal ruled in October 2023 that online gambling is an offence under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and no online casino holds a Malaysian licence.
What is the fine for gambling in a public place?
Up to RM5,000, up to six months in prison, or both, under section 7(2) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
Can Muslims buy 4D in Malaysia?
No. State Syariah enactments make gambling an offence for Muslims, and licensed operators such as Da Ma Cai sell only to non-Muslims aged 21 and over.
Sources
- Responsible Gaming's Policy
- 'Casino licence issue a lie'
- Magnum Berhad Integrated Annual Report 2025
- Sports Toto Berhad Annual Report 2025
- Responsible Gaming
- Corporate
- SCS Draws
- Play Responsibly
- Sabah 88 (home page)
- STC 4D
- Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289), reprint incorporating amendments up to 1 January 2006
- Betting Act 1953 (Act 495), reprint
- Pool Betting Act 1967 (Act 384), reprint
- Lotteries Act 1952 (Act 288), reprint
- Racing (Totalizator Board) Act 1961 (Act 494), reprint
- Enakmen Jenayah Syariah 1995, Seksyen 17 Berjudi
- Man fined RM2,700 for online gambling at café (7 Sep 2026)
- Online gambling an offence under existing law, rules court (18 Oct 2023)
- Malaysia drafts bill to curb online gambling, aiming for parliamentary tabling soon (19 Feb 2026)
- New law being drafted to curb online gambling (15 Feb 2026)
- Over 450,000 online gambling posts removed, 1,778 websites blocked since January 2025
- 5,026 gambling websites blocked since 2022 – 1 February 2025
- No new gambling licences issued under MADANI govt - MOF
- No new gambling licences being issued, says Finance Ministry (8 Oct 2026)