Dato Nadzim Johan said lottery operators needed constant monitoring and more aggressive action from the authorities. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) urged the authorities today to revoke the licenses of gaming operators if they are found to have Muslim customers.

In a press conference here, PPIM chief Datuk Nadzim Johan said lottery operators needed constant monitoring and more aggressive action from the authorities, claiming that numbers forecasters like Sports Toto even service customers who look Malay.

“Places like Toto or Da Ma Cai, they have signs saying that they cannot sell to Muslims…but still, Muslims or people who look like Malay Muslims, would go in and buy. And the operators would keep selling anyway, it is money,” Nadzim said.

“So, I called (sic) for local councils, Jakim (Malaysian Islamic Development Department) and MOF (Finance Ministry) to monitor such places and revoke licenses of those who sell to Muslims. If you take one down, others might be afraid,” he added.

He said several complaints have been lodged, including by families expressing concern after seeing purported Muslims at such premises. Malays are constitutionally defined as professing the Muslim faith.

Nadzim further said that Muslims who visit such places probably do not realise that it is not “halal”.

On July 2013, Bernama reported that police arrested 24 individuals, 16 out of which were Muslim men, at Labuan for online gambling in an operation dubbed ‘Ops Dadu’.

The national news agency also wrote that the case was investigated under the Open Gaming House Act 1953.