Online gambling in Malaysia
Malaysia has not regulated online gambling, yet many real money casinos and sports betting sites still target local players. Under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (CGHA) and Betting Act 1953, operating or taking part in online gambling is an offence; in Oct 2023 the Court of Appeal expressly confirmed that online gambling falls under the CGHA. The most popular online gambling sites used by Malaysians are therefore offshore. By contrast, legal options inside Malaysia are land-based only: Resorts World Genting (the country’s sole licensed casino), licensed Number Forecast Operators (NFOs)(Magnum 4D, Sports Toto, Da Ma Cai), and horse-racing betting via the Totalizator Board/turf clubs. Despite these restrictions many online gambling sites accept players from Malaysia, with these operators based in places like Curacao and Malta, although the latter’s licencees have largely withdrawn from this jurisdiction. Gambling sites in Malaysia can be accessed via both mobile and computer, including apps, with many operators having Android downloads for customers. You can navigate our Malaysia gambling guide above, or scroll down for more.
Top Malaysia gambling sites
- Bet on sports and play casino games at one website!
- Accepts players from most countries
- competitive sports betting odds
- Does not have Paypal available for payments
Malaysia does not license domestic online casinos or sportsbooks. Offshore brands often claim Malaysia-friendly status, but they are unlicensed locally and subject to blocking by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Since 2018, MCMC has blocked thousands of gambling websites, and in Aug 2024 said gambling made up 39% of all sites blocked since 2018. In practice though, many of these gambling sites run on a mirror URL, or players access them with a VPN.
Despite these laws, many offshore gambling sites accept players from Malaysia and cater to the Ringgit currency, with payment solutions that will suit most players. These gambling sites give access to real money casino games like online slots, blackjack, poker and basically anything else you can dream up.
Because of the strict gambling laws in Malaysia, often VPNs can be a gambler’s best friend, with these allowing you to get around things like IP blocking. VPNs like Nord are browser-based and allow you to appear like you are in a jurisdiction where online gambling is more friendly.
Online gambling sites can be accessed via both mobile and computer, with gambling apps very popular and available on Android smartphones and tablets, and increasingly Huawei devices, which have grown their market share in Malaysia. Generally gambling apps will be downloaded directly from operators, which means you will need to allow non-market apps. Apple smartphone users will need to gamble via their web browser, with no real money gambling apps, barring the legal options available in the App Store.
Online gambling in Malaysia
While online gambling is illegal and is heavily frowned upon by the religious factions in Malaysia, millions of residents still wager with offshore real money casinos and sports betting websites.
Because online gambling isn’t locally licensed, real money online play, which include online slots, live dealer, blackjack and roulette, is outlawed in Malaysia, although because it happens in other jurisdictions many still take part in it.
Legal gambling, which is also limited in Malaysia, is restricted to land-based options only, with these including Genting (the only legal gambling venue in Malaysia), NFO lottery draws and pari-mutuel wagering at authorised turf clubs. The latter falls under the Racing (Totalizator Board) Act 1961.
Traditionally there are several gambling games that have been held in Malaysia at a social or casual level, with these including Congkak (Malay mancala), Mahjong and chap ji kee numbers games, which have been clamped down on in the past. These gambling games are banned even at a social level under the CGHA, although they are still common across Malaysia.
While many countries have seen the pitfalls of attempting to completely ban online gambling, Malaysia is not one of them; and they have doubled down on enforcement action rather than legalising it. These enforcement actions almost always come from the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA), with police ant government bodies charged with enforcing it.
Enforcement action has largely centred on local illegal operators, with very little, other than blocking websites the authorities can to do target websites licensed in foreign jurisdictions.
Real money gambling games in Malaysia
There are various forms of online gambling Malaysians can take part in at offshore gambling sites, with these including online casinos, online poker, lotto betting, esports wagering and various others.
Gambling Guides
Malaysians can select from many great online casinos in 2025. Use our gambling guides to get started.
Online Poker
Poker is popular in Malaysia and various online poker sites accept players from this region. You can navigate our poker coverage here.
Casino Games & Rules
Are you a beginner to online gambling? Check out our casino games and rules guide to get started.
Sports gambling
Malaysians gamble on many different sports including football, tennis, basketball, athletics, winter sports and handball.
Live gambling sites
Live casinos are very popular in Malaysia, with live roulette, baccarat, blackjack and poker just some of the games available.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is legal in Malaysia, with it possible to gamble on course and online. Check out our racing coverage to learn about Penang Turf Club and global racing.
Traditional Malay gambling games
While gambling is illegal in Malaysia, unless specifically addressed like lotteries or on-course horse betting, there are several games that have wagering elements to them and are very popular in this part of the world.
Chap Ji Kee (十二字/“12 numbers”)
A Chinese community numbers game that spread through Malaysia and other Asian countries in the late 19th and 20th centuries — it has long been associated with street betting. Chap Ji Kee, which is translated as “12 cards”, is a classic numbers lottery based on the 12 Chinese-chess pieces. Players bet on a pair of numbers from 1–12. A one-way bet is an ordered pair written vertically (for example: 3 over 7); it wins only if the numbers appear in that exact order and typically pays about 100× the stake. A two-way bet is written horizontally (3–7); it wins in either order and pays about 50×. Some versions also allow single-number bets paying around 10×. Operators announce two winning numbers daily.
Hoo Hey How (“Fish–Prawn–Crab”)
Hoo Hey How, or Fish-Prawn-Crab, is a gambling game played at festivals or celebrations, often for small wagers. The game uses three six-sided dice marked with six symbols: fish, prawn, crab, rooster, gourd, and coin. Players place chips on a layout showing those symbols (some boards include pair, triple, or any-triple boxes). The banker shakes the dice in a covered bowl, then reveals the result. Each appearance of a backed symbol pays 1:1 per die; two matches pay 2:1, three matches 3:1. Bets on any triple win if all three dice match (typically 30:1), while a specific triple pays more (often 180:1). Non-matching bets lose. House edge arises from odds paying below true probability for players.
Mahjong
Mahjong is widely played in Malaysia, especially in Chinese Malaysian communities, at home and clan or residents’ associations. The game itself is a social, skill-based tile game with regional rulesets (Cantonese, Hong Kong, Taiwanese). Four players draw and discard tiles to complete a winning hand of sets and a pair; winds and dragons add scoring. Whether it’s gambled on depends on the setting: casual tables often keep it friendly, while some groups play for small stakes. Legally, staking money makes it gambling, which is unlawful under the Common Gaming Houses Act unless specifically licensed, so cash mahjong is technically not allowed, but in reality, many Malaysians do play for cash, often small stakes.
Cockfighting (sabung ayam)
Cockfighting (sabung ayam) is illegal in Malaysia under the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which outlaws animal fighting, and wagering on it is also prohibited. Nevertheless, underground events persist; police raided a forest site near Sungai Buloh in May 2025, arresting more than 100 people at a cockfighting and illegal lottery ring. Betting typically accompanies bouts, though both the fights and the gambling are offences; religious authorities also regard the practice as haram. In short, cockfighting still occurs covertly in some areas, and those partaking in it risk arrest, fines and animal-cruelty charges.
Top mobile gambling apps in Malaysia
Online gambling in largely done via mobile in Malaysia, despite no gambling apps being available via official means because of local laws.
Remarkably the Department of Statistics Malaysia says 99.5% of adults in Malaysia use a mobile, with Android being the overwhelming market leader at around 65% of the market share. This is reflected by gambling app usage and the flexibility of their handsets.
Many Android gambling apps for Malaysians are available via third party, or non-market apps, which involves allowing downloads from outside the Google Play ecosystem. You are essentially downloading an APK onto your handset. These apps still have to pass their regulator’s licensing and in most cases are perfectly safe.
iOS has a significant market share of the Malaysian mobile market, but you cannot download iOS gambling apps on these smartphones, with the best option to wager being via your browser.
Other smartphones are generally not catered for when it comes to gambling apps, however mobile versions of online casinos and sports betting websites are very common.
There are several exceptions to real money gambling apps being banned in Malaysia, with these being local lotteries, and although you can’t buy tickets (you must do this in person) they publish the results digitally.
Gambling laws in Malaysia
- Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and Betting Act 1953 criminalise unlicensed gambling; the 2023 Court of Appeal decision confirmed online gambling falls within this framework.
- Lotteries Act 1952 governs licensed lotteries (Magnum 4D, Sports Toto, Da Ma Cai).
- Racing (Totalizator Board) Act 1961 enables lawful horse-race betting at authorised venues/agencies.
- For Muslims, gambling is also an offence under Syariah laws (e.g., Act 559 in the Federal Territories).
Malaysia’s gambling laws centre on the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and Betting Act 1953, which criminalise unlicensed gambling. There has been very few instances of attempting to update these laws, but In October 2023, the Court of Appeal confirmed that online gambling is an offence under the CGHA.
Despite the strict Malaysian gambling laws, there is a thriving offshore gambling scene, of which many people take part in. This is despite large numbers of gambling sites being blocked by the MCMC under the Communications and Multimedia Act, which regularly releases statements about the latest enforcement efforts.
Like many countries though, Malaysia has struggled implementing their gambling laws, with various ways, including VPNs and private web browsers allowing players to get around any blocks put on online casinos and sports betting sites.
This leaves Malaysian authorities in a quandary: either regulate gambling and get the religious offside, or double down on enforcement actions and get the many people who gamble online offside.
Legal gambling is limited to land-based activities licensed under specific statutes: lotteries under the Lotteries Act 1952 (Magnum 4D, Sports Toto, Da Ma Cai) and pari-mutuel horse-race betting under the Racing (Totalizator Board) Act 1961. There is no Malaysian licence for online casinos or sportsbooks.
Payment options at Ringgit gambling sites
For legal Malaysian gambling, payments are on-site (Genting tables/slots) or at licensed NFO outlets for lottery. There is no locally authorised online-gambling payment channel, although there are many options to fund online casinos, despite this.
Malaysian regulators have blocked gambling websites and work with financial providers to disrupt transactions tied to illegal gambling; banks and e-money issuers operate under BNM and AML/CFT rules and may flag/deny such payments.
But like many places around the globe, Malaysians still play frequently at Ringgit gambling sites, and have many deposit options that will still work, with these including bank cards (they tend to work on and aff, depending on their current status), web wallets (can be a great way to get around payment blocks), cryptos (again another largely untraceable payment method) and various other bank transfer methods.
The most popular payment options at Ringgit gambling sites include:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- ecoPayz
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Ewallets
- Bank transfers
- Pre-paid vouchers
- Touch ’n Go
- Cryptocurrency
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
Malaysian gambling FAQ
There are many questions Malaysians have about online gambling, how to do it in Malaysian Ringgits, licensing queries and much more. If you have a question drop us a message in the box below or email us at contact@worldgamblinglist.com.
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Are non-Muslims treated differently from Muslims under Syariah rules on gambling?
Yes. In Malaysia, Syariah law applies only to Muslims. Muslims face religious-law offences for gambling (even at licensed outlets), enforced by state religious authorities. Non-Muslims are governed by civil law: gambling is generally illegal except for licensed lotteries, horse betting, and casinos. Some states restrict outlets, but civil rules apply.
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Can Malaysians legally use foreign-licensed sites (MGA, UKGC, Isle of Man, Curaçao, PAGCOR)?
Technically offshore online casinos are illegal in Malaysia, but in reality very little is done to stop people from playing at gambling sites based in foreign locations.
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What is the legal gambling age in Malaysia?
There is only one casino in Malaysia, and it’s only open to non-Muslims aged 21 year or older. Gambling sites will accept Malaysian aged 18 years or older.
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Can banks block gambling transactions, and what happens if a transfer is flagged?
Yes, Malaysians banks can block payments to offshore gambling sites, however these enforcements have been rare. Use a web wallet or cryptocurrency to make sure you keep your anonymity at online gambling sites.
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Is using a VPN to access betting sites legal or risky in Malaysia?
You should use a VPN when gambling from Malaysia, with this a good way to get around any IP blocking or government enforcement actions.
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How do I tell if a gambling site is legitimate and properly licensed?
Most gambling sites targeting Malaysians will have a seal from the their regulator in the footer of their website. Otherwise in the “About Us” section you will often find licensing details. Generally, gambling regulators, like Curacao eGaming will have a list of licensee on their website.
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How fast are withdrawals to Maybank/CIMB/RHB and what fees can I expect?
Most gambling sites will process your payments within 24 hours and you will have your cash within 48 hours. It can take longer if gambling sites are based overseas, and your local bank account is local. We recommend using a web wallet or crypto to speed up the withdrawal process.
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Are bonuses allowed, and what are typical wagering requirements in MYR?
Many of the best online casinos feature sign up bonuses, promotions and various other offers. These do have wagering requirements, but gambling offers can be a great way to check out a website, or extend your playing time.
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Does MCMC block gambling sites, and what does that mean for access and accounts?
Yes they do, but if you use a VPN you should be able to access the blocked gambling sites. Many operators run mirrors of their website to get around action taken by local authorities.
