MCMC shut down 6,381 online gambling sites
Photo for illustrative purposes. - Photo by 123RF
The agency today released a statement that the blocks were based on an official requests from the police for offences under the Open Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289).
A total of 212,399 phone lines including mobile and fixed lines that sent ‘spam’ through short message systems (SMS) promoting gambling and unlicensed loans were terminated during the same period.
“The police carried out action and enforcement while the MCMC played a role in providing technical support including provision of information and blocking websites based on the requests.
“In addition to enforcement actions, self-awareness, education and self-control are key in combating online gambling,” the statement said.
MCMC urged the public to play a role in the efforts to curb online gambling promotions by reporting advertisements received through SMS.
The acts were helpful in aiding the agency to terminate the lines with the cooperation of the telecommunication service providers involved.
“If users receive an advertisement through instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp and social media such as Facebook, report the line or social media account to the application service provider to ensure those advertisements would not be sent to others,” it said.
