What is this… football betting?
Source: Safa
We’re sure you’ve heard the term “tikam bola” before when we talk about football betting. More often than not, you’d get roped in by your friends. When you sit down and watch the big games like the World Cup, EPL, Malaysian Super League, Asian Cup, that’s when you’d usually hear some of your friends flexing about their winnings on the bet they’d just made.
The go-to person for all your betting needs is usually called a bookie. They will make offers on what to bet on the game. Some of the usual bettings include:
- Parlay
- Totals Over Under
- Half Time Score
- Correct Score
- First/Last Goal Scorer
- Full-Time Result
The advanced bookies (fuhh) will send offers through sms, Telegram or any social media that is available.
To put it into context, say you're a die-hard Arsenal fan. So, you try your hand at betting. Takkan you guys only bet on one offer, kan? At the very least, you’d bet on a goalscorer and the game’s full-time result. So you put in RM100 for Granit Xhaka, and another RM100 for the game to have a score of 3-0.
You already lost RM200 there. In the EPL where Arsenal play, there are 38 games in a season. You’re already going to put in RM7,600 in hopes of a return that you don’t even know you’re going to get.
This is usually the reason why there are some that go to ah longs just so they can keep satisfying their betting craves. After trying it once, you’d want to go for more, right? But remember, the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Did you know that football betting isn’t actually legal in Malaysia?
Betting at a gaming house and running one is a serious offence in the country, punishable by law. A gaming house here means any premises, including a room, an office or a stall, whether open or enclosed, used or kept for the purpose of any game of chance or a combination of skill and chance, whether permitted by any other law or otherwise, for money or money's worth.
If you are caught operating or betting at a gaming house, you can be convicted under Sections 4 and 6(3) of the Betting Act 1953, which carries this punishment:
“...shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of not less than RM20,000 and not more than RM200,000 and shall also be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.”
If you are Muslim and you get caught, you will be charged according to the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997
“Any person who gambles, or is found in a gaming house, shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding RM3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.”
Source: The Star
Now, if you are found to be accomplices to these gaming houses, PDRM with the help of utility companies like Tenaga Nasional Berhad and water supply companies will resort to drastic measures by cutting the electricity and water supply of the premises.
At this point of time, you’d probably feel the bane of having to pay off the fines because your wallet is probably empty from all the football bets you’ve made. This could lead you down to a downward spiral, harm your mental health, or even worse, make you contemplate suicide!
So, what can you do if you’re caught in the middle of this football betting drama?
If you know of someone, or yourself have gone down the deep end of football betting and is in massive debt, you can contact certified bodies or Non Governmental Organisations (NGO), such as the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM). Contrary to its namesake, they help anyone regardless of race or religion.
You can contact them at +603 4256 6618 or click here to make an appointment.
Source: PPIM
Here’s what PPIM does in helping football/sports bettors get out of debt:
- Assist in restructuring payment schedules
- Assist in nullifying or dropping interest rates
- Assist in negotiating, or dealing with borrowing parties
So far, there are almost 10,000 cases worth millions of ringgit that have been dealt with via their Illegal Moneylender Task Force, which is handled by a professional panel appointed by PPIM, Satria Risk Mitigation Sdn Bhd (SATRIA).
One more thing! If you accidentally provide a space for your friends to run their football betting scheme, please be responsible and relay the necessary information to PDRM, SKMM or even SPRM.
Source: AskLegal
To quote lawyer Fahmi Abdul Moin,
“Whistleblowers are protected by the act, but if the offending party feels wronged and has proof to deny the allegations can do so in court.”
What that means is that you don’t have to worry about making a report, because your identity will be protected through the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010.
If you or a friend has a bad addiction to football betting, you can speak to a psychiatrist to discuss this matter.
You don’t have to feel ashamed about this, as everyone makes mistakes. There's always room and time to correct the wrongs. Hopefully, with the information that we shared, it will give you a little more insight on the effects that football betting can have.
If you have any experience or stories about football betting that you are comfortable with sharing, our Facebook comments section is open for you.
*The above article is intended for informational purposes only. Loanstreet accepts no responsibility for loss that may arise from reliance on information contained in the articles.
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