The governments of China and Malaysia are taking significant steps to curb gambling activity in Asia.
At the beginning of the week, China’s embassy in Singapore issued a stark warning against Chinese citizens engaging in overseas gambling, claiming that doing so leads to a “path of no return”.
“Participating in gambling leads to a path of no return, including financial ruin, family breakdown, and even death,” stated the embassy.
“Cross-border gambling may also bring risks such as fraud, money laundering, kidnapping, detention, human trafficking, and smuggling.”
The message was released in the wake of a Chinese national jumping to his death from the Marina Bay Sands hotel, which the embassy attributed to gambling.
Gambling is strictly prohibited in China, and Chinese citizens are also legally prevented from cross-border gambling, even if they are situated in a jurisdiction where gambling is legalised.
The embassy claims that it has dealt with “several deaths” related to gambling in Singapore and urged Chinese nationals to use a reporting platform launched by the Ministry of Public Security to provide information on Chinese citizens who are opening or operating casinos overseas.
Malaysia eyes tougher laws
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister has laid out his plans to step up action against the illegal online gambling market.
Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof told local media after a visit to his constituency that he is aiming to table new legislation in the next sitting of the lower house of Malaysia’s Parliament, which will provide greater enforcement mechanisms for police and government agencies.
He said: “At the federal level, the government is drafting a law to address illegal gambling. Illegal gambling, if left unchecked, can affect social well-being, especially among our younger generation. That is why the government is treating this matter seriously.”
His words follow the recent arrests by the Royal Malaysian Police of 388 people accused of developing online gambling platforms after raids in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang.
236 men and 152 women aged between 20 and 48 were arrested, including eight foreign nationals, and computer equipment used to operate the platforms was seized.
Malaysia’s Deputy Communications Minister, Teo Nie Ching, has also implored digital platforms to implement stricter pre-screening for sponsored content promoting gambling after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission revealed that it has removed 15,519 pieces of online gambling content in the first 15 days of 2026.
Ching said: “Although the platforms agreed to remove the content after complaints, such action usually took place only after the material had already been displayed. This indirectly facilitates online fraud and gambling activities.”