Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has rejected criticism labelling him a “tauke judi” or gambling boss, pointing to his government’s decision to reduce the number of special lottery draws from 22 to 8 annually.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the reduction demonstrated that his administration had already taken measures to limit gaming activities.
Speaking at the launch of the Skim Usahawan Bangkit Permatang Pauh in Penanti today, he questioned why he was being attacked despite the reduction.
“You held 22 special draws, but I reduced it to eight. Is it enough? No. But why am I being insulted for this?” he said, as reported by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
He also challenged his critics to examine their own records before accusing his administration of failing to curb gambling activities.
The number of special lottery draws had risen from eight to 22 annually under administrations between 2020 and 2022. Anwar’s government later brought the figure back down to eight.
His remarks came amid renewed criticism from Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor following a Federal Court decision involving gambling licences in the state.
The apex court had dismissed the Kedah government’s attempt to overturn a ruling that prevented the state from refusing to renew licences for pool betting and lottery operators.
The legal dispute originated from Kedah’s efforts to effectively stop licensed gambling activities by declining to renew the operators’ business licences.
Following the court ruling, Sanusi said the decision over whether gambling activities would continue in Kedah now rested with Anwar.
He also warned that Kedah residents would “curse” the prime minister if gambling operations were allowed to resume in the state.
Anwar’s latest response highlights the continuing political debate over gambling regulation, with the issue involving both federal licensing powers and state-level efforts to restrict such activities.
