Three apartments in a four-story residential building in Malaysia were recently uncovered as the center of an illegal online gambling operation, according to a report by The Star.
The discovery was made during a coordinated night raid led by the Malaysian Immigration Department, in collaboration with the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) and the General Operations Force.
Jafri Embok Taha, deputy director-general of operations at the Immigration Department, revealed that the units -located in Pusat Bandar Putra Permai, Serdang – were registered under the names of three Malaysian citizens, as confirmed by utility bill records.
Authorities found surveillance systems, including CCTV cameras, installed across all three apartments, allowing operators to secretly monitor the surrounding area. Although the suspected leader of the operation, reportedly a foreign national, escaped before the raid, authorities confiscated online gambling equipment such as monitors, tablets, chairs, and tables. No main suspects were arrested on-site.
Investigators believe the gambling operation was aimed at undocumented migrants living in the same building. Of the 741 foreign nationals screened during the raid, 496 were found to be in the country illegally and were taken to the Semenyih Immigration Detention Depot for further processing. The investigation is being conducted under various laws, including the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Officials emphasized the importance of tackling illegal foreign labor and warned the public against harboring or employing individuals without valid documentation.
This case is part of a wider regional crackdown on cybercrime and illegal gambling. In 2024, Thai authorities dismantled several gambling rings operating from border towns like Sa Kaeo and Nong Khai, many with ties to Chinese and Vietnamese syndicates. Cambodian officials uncovered illegal online casinos in Sihanoukville posing as tech firms, where trafficked workers were forced to operate under coercion. Meanwhile, the Philippines launched raids in early 2025 targeting unlicensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), resulting in the deportation of over 300 foreign nationals.
Malaysia’s enforcement actions mirror a growing Southeast Asian trend of using joint agency efforts to combat cybercrime and transnational illegal gambling networks.
