Is it illegal to visit a blocked gambling website in Malaysia?

We found no source that makes merely visiting a blocked site an offence. Gambling is the issue: the 2023 ruling as reported found that online gambling is an offence under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and one player was charged with playing roulette online. This is not legal advice.

Does blocking stop online gambling in Malaysia?

Officials say it is hard. In February 2026 the Prime Minister told the Dewan Rakyat that online operators are sometimes based overseas and can open and shut operations quickly.

MCMC Website Blocking in Malaysia: Gambling Sites Blocked

Q: How many gambling websites has MCMC blocked?

Two official figures exist, for different periods. A Dewan Rakyat reply said 5,026 sites were blocked from 2022 to 1 February 2025. A later written reply said 1,778 websites were blocked from 1 January 2025 to 31 May 2026. The periods overlap, so do not add them.

Q: Which law does MCMC use to block gambling sites?

The Communications Ministry's reply, as reported by The Star, says MCMC acts under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Online Safety Act 2025. We did not read the statute text, so we cannot cite section numbers.

MCMC website blocking of gambling sites in Malaysia

MCMC website blocking means the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission blocks access to gambling websites and asks platforms to remove gambling content. Official replies report 5,026 sites blocked from 2022 to 1 February 2025, and 1,778 more from 1 January 2025 to 31 May 2026. Blocking is enforcement. It does not make gambling lawful.

By the Inside Casino Malaysia editorial team

6 sources cited

Latest source check: 2 November 2026

Not affiliated with any operator

How we check facts

Sites blocked, 2022 to 1 Feb 2025

5,026 sites blocked (2022 to 2025-02-01); 224,403 items removed; 209,006 (93.14%) via Facebook¹

Sites blocked, Jan 2025 to May 2026

457,562 takedowns (98% of 467,772 requests); 1,778 websites blocked; period 2025-01-01 to 2026-05-31²

Court of Appeal ruling, 2023

Bench: Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera (chair), Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, SM Komathy. Appellants: Rashid Mahmud and Roseaini Johor. Reasoning: a laptop running an online game is a 'machine'; physical gaming machines on the premises are not required³

What is MCMC website blocking?

MCMC website blocking is the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) cutting access to websites it treats as carrying illegal gambling, and asking social media platforms to take gambling content down. The Communications Ministry’s written reply, reported by The Star, says MCMC acts under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Online Safety Act 2025², while police lead enforcement under the Common Gaming Houses Act. We have not read the statute text, so this page does not describe the blocking mechanism.

How many gambling websites has MCMC blocked?

MCMC has blocked several thousand gambling websites since 2022. These are the two official figures we found, and they cover different periods that overlap in 2025.

Period	Websites blocked	Content removed	Source
2022 to 1 Feb 2025	5,026¹	224,403 social media items¹	Communications Minister, Dewan Rakyat reply
1 Jan 2025 to 31 May 2026	1,778²	457,562 items taken down, 98% of 467,772 requests²	Communications Ministry written reply

Most removals concern Facebook: 209,006 items, or 93.14%¹ of the earlier total.

Did Malaysia change the communications law for online gambling?

A bill to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 was put to Parliament in December 2024. GamblingNews reported on 6 December 2024 that Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil put an amendment bill to Parliament that week, aimed at strengthening MCMC’s powers against online crime including illegal gambling⁴. That is trade press. We did not confirm whether it passed or when it took effect, so check the Attorney General’s Chambers portal before relying on it.

Does blocking make online gambling legal or safe?

Blocking does not make online gambling legal or safe. Blocking is an enforcement step, and the offences sit in separate laws. As reported by Free Malaysia Today, the Court of Appeal ruled on 18 October 2023 that online gambling is an offence under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953³. A person gaming in a common gaming house faces a fine up to RM5,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both⁵. A site that is not blocked has not been approved. We found no Malaysian licence for online casinos (unconfirmed in the statutes read⁵). See Is online gambling legal in Malaysia? for the full picture.

Will a new law change blocking?

Possibly, but nothing is confirmed. The government said in February 2026 that it was drafting a law against illegal gambling, and we found no sign it has been tabled. The date and status are on the online gambling bill tracker.

This page is information, not legal advice. If gambling is causing you harm, see our responsible gambling page.

Sources

Every figure on this page links to its source. Prices and rules change; check with the venue before you travel.

RTM Berita (Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Dewan Rakyat reply), 2025-02-13 (checked 2026-10-28)

The Star (Communications Ministry written reply), 2026-07-16 (checked 2026-10-28)

Free Malaysia Today (V Anbalagan), 2023-10-18 (checked 2026-10-28)

GamblingNews (Silvia Pavlof), 2024-12-06 (checked 2026-11-02)

Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 [Act 289] (LOM reprint), 2006-01 (checked 2026-10-28)

Newswav (Bernama report via Malay Mail), 2026-02-11 (checked 2026-11-02)