Parliament passes gambling prevention bill; up to Tk5cr fine for online betting

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Gambling Prevention Bill, replacing the nearly 160-year-old The Public Gambling Act, 1867, with a modern legal framework aimed at tackling online gambling, betting, match-fixing and technology-based financial crimes.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed placed the bill before the House, chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, where it was passed by voice vote following recommendations from the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Law.

The new law defines 24 terms, including gambling, online gambling, remote gambling, betting, bookmaker, match-fixing, spot-fixing, digital gambling platforms, digital wallets, cryptocurrency, fake SIMs, ghost SIMs, fake mobile financial service (MFS) accounts, mirror sites and virtual private networks (VPNs).

It also introduces 14 categories of offences with penalties ranging from imprisonment and fines to both, depending on the nature of the crime.

The bill was first introduced in parliament on 23 June and referred to the committee for scrutiny.

Under the law, ordinary gambling offences carry a maximum punishment of two years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk200,000, or both.

Operating online or remote gambling is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Tk1 crore, while online betting carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to Tk5 crore.

Running, controlling or using gambling premises is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of Tk400,000, while courts may also order the confiscation of buildings, rooms, vehicles, servers or other property used in the offence.

Producing, storing, importing, selling, distributing or using gambling equipment carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of Tk10 lakh, with courts empowered to confiscate or destroy the equipment.

Acting as a bookmaker is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Tk5 crore.

Match-fixing carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of Tk1 crore, while spot-fixing is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of Tk50 lakh. Courts may also disqualify convicted persons from participating in sports competitions permanently or for a specified period.

Individuals, companies, media organisations, digital platforms, influencers, artists, athletes and celebrities involved in gambling advertisements, misleading promotions, false profit claims, sponsorships, affiliate marketing or referral campaigns may face up to three years in prison and fines of up to Tk50 lakh.

Using VPNs, proxy servers, mirror sites, hosting or cloud infrastructure to facilitate gambling is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of Tk5 crore.

Using fake SIMs, ghost SIMs, fake MFS accounts or biometric fraud for gambling carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of Tk50 lakh. Where such offences are committed by organised groups or for money laundering purposes, the punishment may extend to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Tk5 crore.