Malaysia Removes 457,562 Online Gambling Posts and Blocks 1,778 Websites Since 2025

Malaysia has removed more than 457,000 pieces of online gambling-related content and blocked 1,778 gambling websites since the start of 2025, as authorities intensify digital enforcement against illegal gambling promotion.

Malaysia has removed 457,562 pieces of online gambling-related content between January 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, marking one of the country’s largest recent enforcement actions against illegal gambling promotion in the digital space.

The figures were disclosed by the Ministry of Communications in a written parliamentary reply. According to the ministry, the removals represented 98% of 467,772 takedown requests submitted following proactive monitoring by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, as well as formal requests from enforcement agencies.

During the same period, internet service providers also blocked 1,778 gambling websites at the request of the MCMC. The data shows how Malaysia is combining platform takedowns, website blocking and inter-agency cooperation to reduce the visibility of illegal gambling content online.

The ministry clarified that gambling-related offences generally fall under the jurisdiction of the Royal Malaysia Police under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953. However, the MCMC continues to support enforcement by providing investigative assistance and implementing website blocking under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Online Safety Act 2025.

The scale of the removals reflects the changing structure of illegal gambling promotion. Instead of relying only on standalone websites, gambling operators and affiliates increasingly use social media posts, fake accounts, messaging channels and advertising funnels to reach users. This makes content moderation and rapid takedown mechanisms a central part of enforcement.

For Malaysia, the fight against illegal online gambling is also linked to wider online safety and scam prevention efforts. In a separate parliamentary reply, the Communications Ministry said MCMC had submitted 275,787 requests to remove scam-related content between January 2022 and June 2026, with 262,293 posts successfully taken down. The government has also expanded the Safe Internet Campaign, which has reached more than 10,000 schools and higher education institutions nationwide.

This whole-of-government approach shows that Malaysia is treating illegal gambling not only as a gaming-law issue, but also as part of a broader digital-risk environment that includes scams, impersonation, financial fraud and harmful online content.

For operators, advertisers and affiliates, the message is clear. Malaysia is increasing pressure on online gambling promotion channels, including websites and social media content. Even where operators are based outside the country, local visibility can be reduced through platform cooperation and ISP-level blocking.

The approach is unlikely to eliminate illegal gambling entirely. Blocked websites can reappear under new domains, and promotional content can move quickly between platforms. However, large-scale takedowns can disrupt acquisition channels, reduce casual exposure and make illegal operators less accessible to ordinary users.

The next challenge for Malaysia will be enforcement consistency. Sustained monitoring, cooperation with platforms, faster response times and closer coordination between MCMC, police and financial-crime units will be necessary to prevent illegal gambling networks from adapting too quickly.

Malaysia’s latest figures underline a broader regional trend in Asia: regulators are moving beyond traditional gambling enforcement and using digital safety laws, platform obligations and content moderation tools to limit illegal gambling ecosystems. For the market, this means online gambling promotion is becoming harder to hide, harder to scale and increasingly exposed to multi-agency enforcement.