Bangladesh Moves to Replace 159-Year-Old Gambling Law as Online Betting Crackdown Intensifies

Bangladesh is edging closer to one of the biggest changes to its gambling laws in decades, with the government taking formal steps to replace legislation that dates back to the colonial era.

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At a cabinet meeting on June 18, ministers granted in-principle approval to the proposed Gambling Prevention Act, 2026. The draft law, submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and discussed under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, would scrap the Public Gambling Act of 1867 and introduce a framework designed for the digital age.

The move reflects a growing recognition inside government that a law written more than a century and a half ago is poorly equipped to deal with modern betting networks, mobile payments, and online gambling platforms.

A Law Built for a Different Era

For years, Bangladesh has relied on legislation created long before the internet, smartphones, or digital finance existed. Authorities have increasingly argued that the old framework leaves significant gaps when dealing with online operators and technology-driven gambling activity.

The proposed replacement attempts to close those gaps. It introduces legal definitions covering online and remote gambling, digital platforms, digital wallets, bookmakers, and totalisator betting systems. The draft also addresses sports integrity issues, including match-fixing and spot-fixing, areas that have become a growing concern for regulators worldwide.

Punishments outlined in the bill would vary depending on the offence, with penalties ranging from financial sanctions to prison sentences, or a combination of both.

Pressure Builds Around Online Betting

The legislation arrives as authorities continue to confront a surge in illegal online gambling activity.

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Recent enforcement efforts have focused heavily on the financial channels used to move betting funds. Bangladesh Bank has already instructed all 13 mobile financial service providers operating in the country to stop processing transactions linked to gambling activity.

Financial intelligence officials have also targeted suspected gambling networks through the banking system. Earlier investigations led to the suspension of 21,725 accounts believed to be connected to betting-related transactions, highlighting the scale of the issue regulators believe they are facing.

Those measures signaled that the government’s response was moving beyond traditional law enforcement and into the financial sector, where online gambling operations often rely on digital payment systems to reach customers.

Long-Signaled Reform Nears Reality

The cabinet’s approval did not emerge unexpectedly.

Last month, Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed indicated that the government was preparing to replace the country’s aging gambling legislation. The latest decision turns that intention into a concrete legislative proposal and brings the reform process a step closer to becoming law.

The draft must still complete the remaining legislative stages before taking effect. Even so, the cabinet’s endorsement marks a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s effort to modernize gambling regulation.

If enacted, the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026 would represent a decisive break from a legal framework that has remained largely untouched since the nineteenth century, replacing it with rules aimed at a gambling market increasingly shaped by digital technology rather than physical betting venues.

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Source: www.intergameonline.com