A court in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, on Monday declared gambling illegal and asked authorities to take nationwide measures to stop the practice, officials said.
A two-man panel of judges at the High Court passed the order following a petition filed by two Supreme Court lawyers in 2016 seeking a complete ban on gambling across Bangladesh.
This, the government said, would be in line with a constitutional provision that stipulated that the state should adopt measures to prevent prostitution and gambling.
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Lawyer Redwan Ranjib, said the court also asked the government to enhance punishment for gambling, as well as amending the British-era anti-betting law.
It however, directed law enforcement agencies to confiscate equipment presently being used for gambling in clubs, where limited gambling was permitted with the permission of local authorities.
Offences under the Public Gambling Act of 1867 are punishable with a maximum three months of imprisonment and a financial penalty of 200 taka (or 2.35 US dollars).
The court’s order came nearly five months after enforcement agencies shut several casinos, which were being run illegally on the premises of five football clubs in Dhaka. (NAN)