KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The federal government will not increase special draws for numbers forecast operators beyond the current ceiling of 22 per annum, said Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
In a parliamentary written reply to Lumut MP Datuk Wira Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, the minister said the government has also ceased issuing new licences for any form of gaming operations, in line with its ongoing policy to discourage gambling.
Mohd Hatta had wanted the government to state whether the number of “special draws” would be reviewed in the near future.
In the reply, however, Tengku Zafrul did not mention if this would be amended either next year or beyond.
“The Finance Ministry took note of the suggestions proposed by Yang Berhormat and is currently reviewing the suggestions on the special draw amounts.
“This is especially crucial in terms of the end result towards the rise in illegal gambling and business operations aspect of number forecast operators,” Tengku Zafrul said.
As a control measure, Tengku Zafrul added that his ministry has imposed strict conditions on licence holders to ensure the gambling industry was managed efficiently, while cooperation with relevant agencies will also be intensified to curb illegal gambling activities.
Previously, the Pakatan Harapan federal administration reduced the number of annual special draws from 22 to 11 in 2019, and to eight in 2020. This is on top of three “normal” draws in a week.
The special draws were first introduced in 1999 to raise funds for Nipah virus victims.
However, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, which took over from Harapan, reportedly restored the number of special draws back to 22.
The increase of special draws was confirmed by Tengku Zafrul in a parliamentary written reply dated September 20.
