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The government is mulling over intensifying its crackdown on the growing menace of online gambling in Bangladesh by introducing a coordinated monitoring system and other preventive measures.
The measures include blocking relevant mobile financial service (MFS) accounts, and considering limiting internet speeds for users involved in betting.
These were disclosed at a high-level meeting on "Actions to Prevent Online Gambling" held on Tuesday at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.
Presiding over the meeting, Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, said all identified accounts linked to gambling activities would be blocked "while ensuring fairness and compliance".
He informed the meeting that around 5,000 MFS accounts connected to online gambling have already been closed as part of the ongoing drive.
Mr. Taiyeb also said notices have been sent to numerous online platforms to halt gambling-related contents and the process will continue.
A guideline, prepared for media houses on configuring web browsers and AdSense to prevent such content, is currently under vetting at the Information Ministry, it was learnt.
A separate digital advertising guideline, jointly drafted with the ministry, will be rolled out after approval.
In an effort to build a comprehensive monitoring system, the government is planning to make a common database that will enable data sharing among government agencies, platforms, and operators.
"The government is also considering restricting internet speeds for those involved in online betting. We will soon hold a tripartite meeting with the Election Commission to integrate SIM and MFS e-KYC data," said Mr. Taiyeb.
He, however, emphasised the need for identifying pseudo members of gambling networks, slowing down traffic to betting links, and track transactions made through suspicious phone numbers or MFS accounts.
"After due verification, these accounts will be blocked," he said, adding that the broader aim is to preserve social stability, protect the youth from moral degradation, and prevent money laundering.
The meeting was attended by representatives from BTRC, law enforcement agencies, financial regulators, mobile operators, and MFS providers.
BTRC Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdadul Bari said enforcing the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) and restricting the maximum number of SIMs per individual to 10 from 16 December would help curb online gambling.
The telecom regulator is also working with Bangladesh Bank to develop a Subscriber Data Verification Platform (SDVP) to detect financial fraud and betting networks.
Mobile operators and MFS providers reported ongoing efforts to identify and block accounts linked to gambling, the meeting was told.
A representative from bKash said 397 mobile numbers had been suspended in the last two weeks, while steps are underway to enhance online tracking using crawling engines.
However, they flagged challenges such as advanced AI-based gambling sites and the use of VPNs to evade detection.
Other participants, including representatives from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI), stressed the importance of a coordinated approach to tackle sophisticated local and foreign gambling networks.
They pointed out that some operators are based abroad, using call centres to lure Bangladeshi users into online betting, often through masked IP addresses.
The Election Commission and Bangladesh Bank representatives echoed the importance of integrating SIM, NID, and MFS data to foil online gambling schemes, claiming such efforts could eliminate up to 80 per cent of related crimes.
Concluding the meeting, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said a national platform involving all key stakeholders will soon be launched to intensify the crackdown on both online gambling and financial fraud through unified policy and technical measures.
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