Man Who Ran Illegal Blackjack Tries to Evade Police, Jumps Off a Balcony

A Malaysian man was injured when he tried to evade police officers who had raided the site of an illegal gambling ring in the country.

Man Tries to Evade Capture in Illegal Gambling Case

The person jumped off the second story of a building and broke his ankle as he tried to evade officers of the law who had broken into the venue. According to local media reports, the man was the ringleader who had hosted illegal blackjack games.

Malaysian police authorities had surveilled the venue for two weeks before moving in strength, leading to the seizure of RM52,800 ($12,269) in cash, along with various gambling paraphernalia.

The man is said to have run the illegal gambling den with his girlfriend, the police stipulated in an official report.

“Early investigation indicates that the injured suspect, together with a female suspect, who is his girlfriend, have been organizing gambling activities,” the chief investigator said, cited by The Star, a local media outlet.

Apart from the suspect who tried evading capture, 19 foreign suspects were apprehended. They were aged between 24 and 55 and are believed to have participated in the illegal gambling operation as patrons.

Under the Betting Act 1953 and the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, Malaysia rules out most forms of gambling activities. The country has criminalized both the unauthorized running of gambling venues, as well as participating in such activities.

Gambling Is a Fraught Matter in Malaysia

Customarily, however, the brunt of illegal gambling cases is borne by the people organizing and running the operations rather than the patrons who are mostly fined.

The only licensed forms of gambling so far in Malaysia remain the Genting Highlands, operated under a government license, the Toto and Magnum 4D lottery and sports betting.

However, an anti-gambling wave has risen, stoked by the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, which has called for the shuttering of the Genting Highlands operations, along with other forms of gambling.

Critics have pointed out that while PAS was in power several years prior, it did not propose the same measures, leading many to conclude that the party is riding a populist wave to score political dividends.