BCorp may want to take the loophole but wait....

Pakatan Rakyat led Selangor State Government has again taken the lead in combating social ill.

This time the riches local council in Selangor, Petaling Jaya City Council ruled that they shall be no sport betting outlets operating within its area.

However, there are reports that Berjaya Corporation Berhad (BCorp), the holder of the sport betting license, may just open counters for sport betting too in existing Sport Toto gaming outlets which offer 4-digit betting.

On hindsight, it seems to be correct but if we examine it closely and purely on the perspective of business licensing, the business licenses issued by MBPJ to Sport Toto are meant for 4-digit betting and the license is issued to "Sport Toto Malaysia Sendirian Berhad".

On the other hand, the license holder for sport betting is Ascot Sports Sdn. Bhd. which 70% of its stake are owned by Berjaya Corporation Berhad (BCorp).

So, there are two different companies altogether although the two are owned by the same parent company, BCorp.

In terms of licensing, the business licenses issued to Sport Toto Sdn. Bhd. by the council cannot be shared with Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd. Moreover, according to section 107(2) of the 1976 Local Government Act, local councils have right to exert certain conditions in granting the licenses. Such license can be withdrawn at any time deemed suitable by the councils

Selangor local councils mount barrier against sports betting

By Malaysiakini Reporter Aidila Razak

May 27, 10

2:37pm

Several local councils in Selangor have moved to freeze the license of gambling premises which offer sports betting, in what appears to be a cascading wave of protest against the federal government legislation.

Starting with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) on Tuesday, the movement appeared to have spread to Selayang yesterday and Ampang Jaya this morning, with both acting to disallow sports betting in their respective jurisdictions.

Speaking to reporters after their full-board meeting, councilor Latheefa Koya said that they acted under Section 101 of the Local Government Act which covers issues concerning health, safety and convenience.

Latheefa, (left) who is also PKR information chief, said that sports betting is detrimental to mental health and turns sports into an unhealthy activity.

According to Selayang councilor Lee Khai Loon, local councils can bar the activity by controlling through the issuance of premise licenses, which stipulates the type of items that can be traded.

"Existing gambling premises like Sports Toto list lotteries as their trading item, not sports betting.

"To add sports betting as a trading item, operators have to apply to the local council and our stand is to reject such applications," he said, adding that the decision was unanimous.

Khai Loon, who is also PKR Youth information chief, added that the council will close down premises reported offering sports betting.

"We have 24 councilors who, with the help of the public ,will act as the eyes and ears for (the Selayang Municipal council)," he warned.

No round-the-clock bets

On top of controlling trading items, Ampang Jaya councilor Lee Shok Jing said that the council, whose vote on the issue was also unanimous, is also using the premise license to limit the trading hours of gambling operators.

"We expect that with the FIFA World Cup, punters will want to place bets around the clock, so we are limiting the trading hours to ensure that this does not happen," she said.

The councils will also not approve license applications for new gambling premises, with all the decisions made regarding sports betting taking immediate effect.