How much does it costs to get a sports-betting licence in Malaysia? That is the ‘big question’ I would like the Malaysian public to ponder. While there are lots of protests and support from various quarters thrown around for and against Ascot Sports for its betting licence, my main concern is how much did they pay to get it?
There were many high-profile politicians who claim that it is a necessity to legalise this gambling activity to have some sort of control. Really? So it is only for regulatory purposes? Then why does the government not create a regulatory body using non-Muslim members of the public to have effective controls instead of leaving it to profit-driven private companies? Or tender it to the highest bidder among private parties?
A good example of such an exercise is evident from the tendering exercise carried out by the Indian government for their 3G services. The Indian government raised 67,000 crores from seven bidders. Here is the link to that news.
Can you imagine those figures? I will provide a simple illustration of those figures below. Please don't miss out on the number of zeros in the billions the government has collected beforehand, which in actual fact could help to upgrade many public facilities.
| Indian Measurement |
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Yes, mind-boggling isn't it? That's the kind of bargaining powers the other governments have in giving out lucrative licences. Has Ascot Sports been asked to pay any decent amount to obtain such a license, which everyone knows is for a gambling business?
We all know who the eventual winners and losers are in this business. We need not look too far for examples. Our very own Genting is an epitome of success in this business and is now conquering our neighbours and many other countries.
Gambling is forbidden not only in Islam but by all other religions as well. To say it is the culture of non-Muslims is a narrow outlook, because in reality you can see all races of different faiths succumbing to it. It is not that different from many other vices, so there has to be devices in place to protect the people from its ill-effects – like for example the sin taxes against alcohol and cigarettes.
My conclusion is that if you are hell bent on regulating the sports betting by licensing the activities – please do not give it away on a platter to selected companies or individuals. Make them invest heavily before they can start reaping their profits on a longer term.
