The practice of gambling is legally banned in Bangladesh, but the gambling has taken a newer form through online platforms recently. The people opens up accounts on various gambling or betting apps using online facility and the online gambling has spread widely in the country. Enticing by the alluring offers of the online gambling sites, people from various ages, especially the youths and students are getting engaging in it. Even, this unhealthy practice is contributing to increasing social and family problems in the country.

According to the World Gambling Market Report, the online gambling market alone was valued at $6,353 million in 2022. Last year, its range is estimated to increase by 11.7 percent. And the graph of the market value in this online gambling is gradually upward.

Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) says nine people were arrested for online gambling in 2022. They mainly set up sports events like football cricket and online gambling events with players. And the customers used to open an account online through the mobile number or email on that gambling app or website and on the other hand opened the e-wallet and added the balance and gambled items with that money. In addition to mobile wallets for gambling, Tk 3 crore to 5 crores was transacted daily in the banking channel at that time. Many have traded gambling money in cash through agents. As every gambling site is operated from outside the country, a huge amount of money is going out of the country every year from Bangladesh.

Officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB) Cyber Crime Unit said that they are keeping a regular vigil on online gambling sites and regularly reported to BTRC for blocking multiple sites. Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (BTRC) has blocked 331 online gambling websites from the domestic network of the country.

Hafiz Al Asad (23), a member of an online gambling platform, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) on April 3 last year. According to the agency, the person used to encourage various people to participate in online gambling using money and dollars. Many people have become very proud of it. A smartphone and a SIM card used to operate the online gambling platform were seized from Hafiz. Later, on the information given by him, another SIM card was seized from Chapainawabganj.

Earlier on January 27, ATU arrested Rana Mia and Reza Ahmed, members of Onexbet online gambling platform, in a raid at Colony Bazaar in Bogra Sadar. CID Cyber Monitoring’s Additional Special Superintendent of Police Sheikh Rajibul Hasan said, “They have come to know about 40-50 online gambling sites still running in the web arena of the country.”

In Pabna district, online gambling has spread from the Santhiya municipal area of the district to the remote villages of the upazila. Many of the youngsters are getting addicted to this game out of curiosity. After making a profit, the users lose money huge was big amount to them. About 10 to 12 apps with different names are the most popular gambling apps. These apps can be started with any amount of money starting from Tk 10. Most of these apps are operated from Russia, Malaysia and Indonesia. A woman from Gaurigram Union of this upazila said her husband was addicted to online gambling and used to sell household items to invest money in online gambling. If she protested, she would have been tortured by her husband. At one stage of conflict, they were separated from the family.

On October 15 last year, the police recovered the hanging body of a young man named Rubel Mia (28) from Mugda in the capital. SI Enamul Karim of Mugda Police Station said that due to family unrest due to online gambling, Rubel snuck out of his house and strung a rope with a fan and hanged himself. According to RAB, on October 31, 2022, six people of a gang were arrested on charges of running various online gambling in the country. The gang siphoned off Tk 200 crore from the country to abroad by conducting online gambling in the name of computer or mobile games. Jamilur Rashid is a the owner of the online gambling ring operating in the country. He opened a company called Ulka Games Limited four years ago and got a grant from the government to develop two games. Later, Jamilur Rashid spread the gambling app 'Tinpatti Gold' developed by an organization of the country in Bangladesh.

(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on March 15 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque Khan) ​​