The government is studying the possibility of issuing football betting licences in view of the 2010 World Cup to prevent illegal betting and gaming activities from becoming rampant in the country.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein said if the licences were not issued to the applicants, such illegal activities would persist and become out of control.
"There is some interest for us to examine otherwise there will be lots of bookies betting for the World Cup.
"So, whether this is necessarily a good thing for the government or whether we should try to regulate it so that we know how much is received from illegal betting, the government is looking into that," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here today.
He said if the issuance of the licence were implemented, the government could regulate the betting activities, while the returns could be used for sports development purposes.
While admitting that there were several quarters who had applied for the licence, Awang Adek, however, refused to disclose the details until the government made its decision.
Earlier, the issue was raised during question time at the Dewan Negara sitting by Senator Ng Fook Heng who wanted to know whether the government was planning to issue licences for bookies for football matches and other gaming activities.
Awang Adek said the government was looking seriously at the illegal gaming activities as they could lead to illegal money lending, organised crimes, smuggling and money-laundering.
"So, the government will give serious consideration on the matter and action should be taken effectively to combat illegal bookies, that is, by allowing the football betting to be carried out legally," he added.
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