In a statement today, MCMC said action was taken based on an official application submitted by the police for offences under the Open Gambling House Act 1953 as well as information from the public.

“The MCMC had also worked in cooperation with foreign-based social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to remove such content in accordance with the terms of service and community standards set by them,” the statement read.

In terms of enforcement, MCMC has conducted data verification audits on prepaid phone card users to ensure all active numbers are properly verified.

According to MCMC, during the same period, a total of 19,765 telephone lines were terminated as they were linked to spam text messages promoting online gambling, unlicensed moneylending services and so forth.

The move is important to ensure that the numbers are not misused by irresponsible parties for criminal purposes, cyber fraud and the promotion of online gambling,” it added.