The coalition against sports betting had a low-key launch of the Gerakan Rakyat Membantah Judi (GMJ) this afternoon at a major shopping centre.

Without much fanfare, the launch in front of the Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur was over in 30 minutes.

However, 10 police officers stationed near the protestors kept a watchful eye over the event which ended without any untoward incidence.

NONE GMJ chairperson Azmi Abdul Hamid said the movement plans to hand over a memorandum to all MPs in Parliament on June 15.

“We will present the memorandum to all lawmakers, whether Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional, as well as to the speaker of the house.

“This is to mobilise support from all parliamentarians to protest against the legalisation of sports betting,” he told reporters after the launch.

Meanwhile, Shah Alam MP for PAS Khalid Samad complained that the issuance of the sports betting licence to Ascot Sports last month was never put to a debate in Parliament.

“The only people who will benefit from this are the sports-betting operators, loan sharks and the BN government themselves,” he said.

First step to educate the public

Khalid, who is also the PAS central committee member, said that eventually existing legal forms of gambling would also come under the scrutiny of the Islamist party.

NONE “(Opposition to sports betting) is our first step to educate the public,” he said.

Also present at the event were deputy PKR Youth chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin, as well as representatives from NGOs such as Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) and Jemaah Islam Malaysia (JIM).

After the launch, the protestors distribute leaflets to shoppers at the vicinity of the busy shopping mall.

A mammoth rally is in the works for July 3 when GMJ, along with Pakatan Rakyat, will be delivering a memorandum to the king at Istana Negara urging his intervention to halt the sports betting licence.