Malaysian tycoon defends sports gambling

Legalising sports betting in Malaysia will generate over 900 million dollars a year for government coffers, the magnate leading the controversial project said in remarks published Sunday.

The government in May granted a sports betting licence to Ascot Sports, a company controlled by influential tycoon Vincent Tan, in a bid to boost tax revenue, but the move has run into stiff opposition.

“By legalising sports betting… the government could earn annual revenue of up to three billion ringgit (940 million dollars) through taxes,” Tan was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times newspaper.

“Why are some politicians so against this,” he added.

Muslim groups have denounced gambling and three opposition controlled states have imposed a ban on legalised sports betting which they fear could cause debt problems for punters and other social woes.

Speaking out against the criticism for the first time, Tan said punters in Malaysia would be able to place their bets from September in time for the hugely popular English Premier League football season.

Tan is chairman and chief executive of property-to-gaming group Berjaya which bought a 70 percent state in Ascot Sports from the tycoon for 525 million ringitt.

He said Berjaya would appeal to the opposition controlled states — Selangor, Penang and Kedah — to lift their ban on legal sports betting.

Berjaya said the illegal sports betting market in Malaysia was worth as much as 20 billion ringgit a year, the paper reported.

Malaysia bans its majority Muslims from gambling but allows betting at a casino operated by Genting Group, on the national lottery and on horse-racing.

Government officials have said they plan to channel the revenue generated from legalised betting into sports development, but that the move will not eradicate match-fixing which has long blighted football in Asia.