Malaysia: Issued MCMC statement on blocking 6,381 online gambling websites

On 5 February 2023, the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced that it had blocked 6'381 online gambling websites under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 between 2020 and 2022. MCMC confirmed the termination of 212'399 phone lines between 2020 and 2022 for promoting gambling and unlicensed loans via spam SMS. MCMC highlighted providing technical support to the Royal Malaysian Police and encouraged the public to report gambling-related ads received through SMS or social media to help block the associated phone numbers or accounts.