Cricket World Cup: Onlinegambling sites more active

Staff Correspondent: The Cricket World Cup is going to start in the neighboring country India on October 5. The frenzy of cricket lovers around the World Cup has started nationwide. The whole world will be floating on the tide of cricket for more than a month. Along with fans, online gamblers have also started to get active with the World Cup. Online gambling business is booming in the country throughout the year. However, activation increases during special events. Since most of the online betting (gambling) sites are focused on sports, the Cricket World Cup is a big event for gamblers.
According to law enforcement sources, online gambling sites are trying to re-emerge around the Cricket World Cup. Meanwhile, the advertisement of foreign online betting sites has increased in the net world including social media. Many new customers are logging on to online gambling sites after seeing these advertisements and keeping the cricket world cup in front.
It is also known that a class of educated youth are also logging on to online gambling sites in view of the Cricket World Cup, similarly, lower class professionals are also attracted to online gambling.
According to the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), there are more than 150 online gambling or betting sites active in the country. However, this trend may increase due to the Cricket World Cup. About 2 million people are betting or gambling on these sites. Most of these gambling sites are based in Russia.
Advertisement running ahead of Cricket World Cup
It can be seen from the social media, these gambling advertisements are running on various online platforms throughout the year. However, ahead of the Cricket World Cup, the advertisements of these online gambling sites have increased several times. These online sites are trying to attract netizens to gamble with various flashy advertisements. Their advertisement says, ‘Win lakhs of taka for Tk 600’, ‘Money will go to your Bikash, cash or rocket account in minutes.’
The advertisement also says, ‘These gambling sites are legal in Bangladesh.’ Apart from this, pictures of various star cricketers of Bangladesh are attached to the ad.
After looking into these sites, it is known that free registration is being done on some sites. Some sites have to register by paying Tk 300-500. The betting money of these gambling sites is mainly transacted through cash, development and rocket. Later local agents of these sites are smuggling money abroad through hundi.
Gambling sites operated from Russia, China and Siberia
According to law enforcement sources, these online gambling sites are mainly operated from Russia, China and Siberia. Gambling owners in these three countries are appointing their local agents in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. These processes are being completed online. Gambling sites are being operated in these three countries through them (agents). Agents get a fixed commission based on the transaction. The remaining money is being smuggled abroad through various means including hundi. If an agent is caught by local law enforcement, they are quickly renaming the site and recruiting new agents.
Gambling site reopening even though it closed
According to law enforcement and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) sources, the law enforcement agencies are constantly providing BTRC with the names, links and screenshots of various online gambling sites. After listing, BTRC is fast shutting down those online gambling sites. Recently, law enforcement agencies have sent a list of several online gambling sites advertising World Cup to the BTRC. Accordingly, the process of closing the sites is almost at the final stage. Thus, BTRC has shut down thousands of online gambling sites in the last few years. However, the problem is that online gambling does not stop even if the site is closed. Because, after shutting down these sites, the gang members are starting again with new names and using VPN (Virtual Private Network). If 100 sites are closed, 200 sites are being opened.
When asked about this, CID’s Cyber Intelligence and Risk Management Unit Special Superintendent of Police Rezaul Masud said Daily Industry that these sites advertise online gambling on social media. We regularly send list to BTRC to close them. With links or screenshots we tell BTRC that these sites are illegal according to the current laws of Bangladesh. They should be stopped soon in public interest. On the other hand, some domestic agents operating these gambling sites, who deal in gambling money, are under our monitoring. We will conduct operations against them soon.
In the last one year, we conducted operations in 8-10 districts of the country and arrested about 100 people involved in online gambling. Apart from this, we have recovered about Tk 50 lakh from online gambling.
Meanwhile, the CID has stepped up operations against online gambling site gangs ahead of the Cricket World Cup. Recently, the ringleader of the online gambling site ‘One X Bet’ has been arrested. While fleeing to Nepal on Thursday (September 28), Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the head of this circle. CID arrested Matiur Rahman (29).
In this regard, CID spokesperson Additional Superintendent of Police Azad Rahman said that online platforms Mel Bet, 1xBet, and Bet winner were raided on August 31 in Mohammadpur, Banshree, Agargaon and Sirajganj Shahjadpur Police Station areas of the capital. CID has arrested six members of the gang that runs the named betting sites. A case has also been registered at DMP’s Paltan Model Police Station. The founder of that circle Matiur Rahman.
In interrogation, Matiur Rahman said that he went to Russia to study in 2017. After completing his graduation there, he is doing Masters in Social Work. In 2021, One X joined Bet and Betwinner. One X Bet with five thousand dollars security money and Bet Winner’s agency with three thousand dollars.
Motiur formed a gang with the help of six people arrested earlier for running gambling sites in Bangladesh. Saikat Rana, Sadiqul and others among the gang members used to transact money using their MFS agent numbers. Later, the money collected from all the agents would be jointly sent by Saikat and Matiur. In this way, they smuggle a huge amount of money out of the country every month.