Anyone operating either online gambling or betting platforms in Bangladesh now risks up to seven years in prison and a BDT50-million (circa US$405,500) fine.
An offence of taking part in online gambling risks a five-year sentence or a BDT10-million fine.
That is according to the new Gambling Prevention Act 2026, enacted by the country’s government and gazetted on Wednesday, after receiving the assent of the head of state, President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
BSS News, the official news agency of Bangladesh, gave the information in a Thursday report.
It stated the move was to “tackle the growing threat of online gambling, sports betting and digital gambling networks”.
According to a research paper by a scholar at the National University of Bangladesh, published in May, approximately 5 million people in the country are classified as “addicted” to online gambling, with an estimated US$600 million “laundered annually through illegal channels”.
The new law – approved in draft form by the government last month – replaces the 159-year-old Public Gambling Act 1867, a statute from the British-India colonial era that already prohibited most forms of traditional gambling in Bangladesh, including land-based casinos.
The Daily Star news outlet separately reported that the new law defines 24 categories of gambling-related activities, and prescribes 14 categories of punishment. The publication cited some opposition MPs being concerned the new law could be misused.
National Citizen Party MP Akhter Hossen was cited saying he supported the act’s objective but warned of possible misuse.
He objected in particular to granting police powers to conduct searches and seizures and block websites or mobile applications without court approval, saying such provisions could infringe on citizens’ rights and potentially be used to suppress critical media.
Per the BSS News report, the fresh law introduces legal definitions for “online gambling, sports betting, virtual casinos, virtual private network-enabled gambling, cryptocurrency transactions, match-fixing and other digital gambling-related offences”.
Responsibilities for implementing the law have been assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Bangladesh Bank, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), the Election Commission, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the National Cyber Security Agency, and other relevant ministries and agencies, per the official news agency.
The law also provides for the formation of an interagency task force, “international cooperation, research, publication of annual reports, and public awareness campaigns”.
Defined offences under the law include organising gambling or money laundering through either “fake SIMs, fraudulent mobile financial service [MFS] accounts or cryptocurrency”. They are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to BDT50 million.
The statute also provides for up to two years in jail, a fine of up to BDT200,000 – or both – for what the report termed “conventional gambling offences”.
Match-fixing, influencers
Running online betting operations, acting as a bookmaker, using VPNs or mirror sites to facilitate gambling, or operating gambling networks through digital infrastructure carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to BDT50 million.
Match-fixing is punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment and a BDT10-million fine. Spot-fixing carries a maximum sentence of five years and a BDT5-million fine.
A court “may also disqualify convicted persons temporarily or permanently from participating in the relevant sport or competition,” added the report. A number of leading Bangladeshi cricketers has previously received bans of varying length for alleged match fixing.
The new law also states that media outlets, digital platforms, influencers, artists, athletes, or any other individuals involved in promoting gambling through advertisements, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or referral campaigns may face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of BDT5 million, or both.
The new statute additionally classifies the “transfer, concealment, or legitimisation of gambling proceeds through banks, MFS accounts, digital wallets, hawala, hundi, or cryptocurrency” as an offence under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012. “Hawala” is an informal value-transfer system involving brokers. “Hundi” is a traditional, informal financial instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent.
The law also criminalises gambling advertisements, sponsorships and affiliate marketing, and empowers authorities to freeze and confiscate bank accounts, digital wallets, crypto assets, servers and other properties linked to gambling operations.
Anyone accused of offences under the act will not be entitled to bail pending trial.
Per the BSS News report, the law authorises the government to use “modern technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), deep packet inspection (DPI), transaction monitoring systems, and data analytics, to detect and prevent online gambling”.
