00:01The Finance Ministry has hit back at Kedah Menteri Bersa Sanusi Noor,
00:05saying the Madani government has not issued any new gambling licenses
00:09or allowed new pool betting or lottery shops to open in the state.
00:13In a statement, the Ministry stressed that the number of existing licenses and permits remained unchanged since the 1990s,
00:20while strict conditions had been imposed on license holders.
00:23The statement comes after the Federal Court on August 12 rejected Kedah's bid to overturn a ruling
00:28preventing the state from refusing to renew licenses for pool betting and lottery operators.
00:34The Treasury noted that enforcement against illegal and online gambling had been stepped up,
00:38while previous governments from 2020 to 2022, which PAS was a part of,
00:43never proposed banning licensed gambling or revoking existing licenses.
00:48The Ministry also reiterated that the number of special lottery draws was increased from 8 to 22 a year under
00:53those administrations,
00:55before the Madani government reduced it back to 8.
00:57The Court of Appeal ruled that Kedah could not impose a blanket ban on such businesses
01:02solely because they were against gambling.
01:05Sanusi had recently said the decision on whether gambling activities would be allowed in Kedah
01:09now rested with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
01:12Jolécelyn Core FMT.
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