LETTER | The Sun Daily newspaper should be commended for its exposé on the illegal betting syndicates that rake in billions of ringgit and pay zero taxes.

Indeed despite the 12,822 lawbreakers arrested in 2018, as disclosed by Bukit Aman's Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division head Rohaimi Md Isa, we all know that the RM15 billion profits yearly escape government taxation.

It is beyond our imagination how buyers and sellers are dabbling in illegal lotteries at the expense of government taxes lost amounting to RM3 billion annually.

As pointed out on the report, the tax money would have built four modern hospitals and 200 primary schools yearly.

What does this say about Malaysians? We are indeed penny wise and pound foolish.

There is no way the police can banish this lucrative, greedy business as long as Malaysians are greedy enough and devoid of values to be betting on the illegal arteries that run all over the country.

Even though the public is told to report such syndicates, it is merely a feelgood announcement.

Unless and until Malaysians recognise virtues and ethics as the pathway to a better, more progressive and wealthier nation for all, we are all only robbing from each other and leaving the crooked architects of illegal lotteries to mint fortunes for themselves.

Yet when the new government is slow on fulfilling its promises we scream our lungs out.

It is, therefore, no small wonder that the past regime could so easily venture on a Ponzi scheme to outsmart so many countries, and celebrate with its kleptocratic wealth amassed that made a few people super-duper rich.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.