Kota Kinabalu: A 22-year-old man was ordered by the Magistrate Court to pay a fine of RM3,000 or one month of imprisonment for gambling in a public place.
Mohammad Rizal Azwan Irwan pleaded guilty before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin for engaging in online gambling using a mobile phone at a public location at JC Wings Enterprise in Pekan Inanam, on Sept 30 at about 3:30pm.
Mohammad Rizal committed the offence under Section 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up to six months or both, on conviction.
According to Prosecution Officer Inspector Yusdi Basri, Rizal was found engaging in online gambling using a mobile phone, upon investigation with a report, that the mobile phone was indeed used as a gambling device capable of accessing online gambling platforms at a public place.
The police seized the mobile phone, a black mobile printer, a sheet of paper printed with numbers and letters that’s suspected to be gambling printouts, and cash amounting to RM82.
Rizal was represented by duty counsel Lim Ming Zoong @ Lawrence that requested a lenient sentence.
Inspector Yusdi Basri applied the deterrent sentence.
The court ordered the RM82 cash seized during investigation to be forfeited to government revenue.
