INTENSIFY ENFORCEMENT TO PREVENT MUSLIMS FROM GAMBLING - DR MAHATHIR

PUTRAJAYA, June 1 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
said the government should increase enforcement to prevent Muslims from
involving in gambling activities.

"Any Muslim caught gambling like betting will get arrested," he said when
asked to comment on the granting of a licence to the Berjaya Group to manage
sports betting in conjunction with the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

"We have many different races in this country. So, we cannot stop people
from doing what to them is not 'haram' (forbidden) but for us Muslims, it is
'haram'," he told reporters, here, Monday.

He said there was already enforcement on Muslims with regard to gambling,
"but if they go to Singapore to gamble, there's nothing we can do about it".

The Finance Ministry had early this month issued the licence to allow for
legalised sports betting to curb the illegal operations.

Its deputy minister Dr Awang Adek Hussein had said that if the
government had not given the licence, illegal betting would still take place,
without proper control and monitoring by the authorities.

-- BERNAMA