Desk Report:

Gambling is prohibited in the country using open equipment, but the modern version of gambling is going on through various online platforms.

Gambling activities are going on equally in villages or cities. Betting is done for money on the final result of the cricket game or how many runs or how many fours/sixes will be scored in a over. All activities are done online. This is the modern version of gambling.

Starting from the streets of remote villages to city clubs, elite areas, and even at home, gambling sessions are held alone or by a few people. Many people becoming destitute due to greed.

According to the investigation, bets are taken on franchise-based cricket games like BPL, CPL, IPL. Online gambling activities have recently increased around the Bangladesh Premier League. Gambling management and gambling are both done through smartphones. Due to the advancement of technology, online gambling money transactions are done through mobile banking. Gambling activities are conducted on a variety of mobile applications. Online gambling is mostly conducted on apps such as One X Bet, Bet365, Bovada, Xbet, and others. It has been seen on various online platforms that popular IPL players’ faces have been edited to encourage online gambling by promoting those videos.

The Open Gambling Act of 1867 had a different section and context in the country. Its implementation is currently quite difficult due to some weaknesses. The word casino does not exist in that law. Experts also say that making timely laws to prevent online gambling is the demand of time.

The members of the gang basically cheat by saying that they can make online income at home. Although this type of fraud is not new, it has increased recently. Questions have arisen, fraudsters are also using domestic numbers to commit such frauds. In that case, it is not very difficult to identify them, but why is no action being taken against them?

When talking to one who received such a call recently, said that the first call came in January 2024. They offer to earn Tk 2000 per day at home. Even after hanging up a couple of times the call comes, wants to speak in English and give various offers and sometimes asks for bKash number.

A victim in Pabna said that the calls started coming one after the other. Every time the phone calls from a different number and offers tempting ‘part-time jobs’ at home in English. Later, after getting bored and subscribing to a few YouTube channels, he was asked to invest.

He also said that after joining the Internet, various temptations will continue to be offered. Usually, they first try to build trust with a small amount of money. Investing in their company at a later date is tempting to return the money with extra interest. It is not long in our country. But I can see a big danger ahead due to keeping silent even after this is so open and happening so often.

Police officials want new laws to regulate online gambling. On the fifth day of Police Week 2024, senior police officers highlighted the need for the new law in an exchange meeting with three ministers and secretaries of the concerned ministries at Rajarbagh Police Lines.

Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Law Minister Anisul Huq and Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain were present in the meeting. It was presided over by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. Officials from the rank of Superintendent of Police and above participated in the meeting.

CID chief and Additional Inspector General of Police Mohammad Ali Mia said we have continued the operation. When we close one site immediately 10 more gambling sites open up. Some media outlets also advertise gambling. Media, police, and mobile banking operators all have to work together to stop online gambling. Then it will be easy to stop such cyber crimes.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman thinks that those who are tempted to become bigots by shortcuts have no choice but to be aware.

He said that all the complaints that come to us are being prosecuted and arrests are being made. Don’t be tempted to make more profit with a small investment. A cyber support unit will be opened soon to consolidate such cases and complaints.

State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak said that online gambling apps will be completely stopped soon. Spreading illegal propaganda through social media is also extremely harmful to individuals, institutions and states. Strict measures will be taken to stop it at any cost.