Myanmar intensifies crackdown against illegal online gambling
The ruling military council of Myanmar has intensified its crackdown on illegal online gambling networks and telephone fraud.
Authorities are reported to be focusing on the Myawady-Maehtawthalay area, also known as KK Park, and the nearby Shwe Kokko zone.
According to Global New Light of Myanmar, the government said it was part of a national effort to dismantle criminal activities that pose risks to regional and international communities.
Combined teams of security forces and administrative officials began large-scale operations on 18 November. Out of 635 structures identified as being used for online gambling, 170 have been demolished using heavy machinery and other methods to prevent reuse.
Similar actions in Shwe Kokko led to the arrest of 265 foreign nationals, including citizens of China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Indonesia.
In total, over 2,300 computers, 2,900 mobile phones, and other equipment were seized. A broader sweep across the area later resulted in the detention of 611 additional foreign nationals.
Officials said all detainees are being held in Myawady Township while investigative teams verify identities and prepare documentation for repatriation.
The government also said that it would continue to coordinate with neighboring countries to prevent online gambling networks from resurfacing.
In October, Myanmar police said that they would be cracking down on websites and social media platforms that promote online gambling.
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The Backstory
Escalation from online warnings to bulldozers
Myanmar’s latest sweep against illegal online gambling did not emerge in isolation. Police spent months signaling tougher action against offshore-style platforms and social media promoters as internet access widened and gambling apps spread from adults to teenagers. In a public campaign that paired enforcement with messaging, authorities said they would target websites advertising slots, fish shooting and live casino games while moving to cut off payment channels. That set the stage for the larger operations now underway. The shift was previewed when the Myanmar Police Force said it would intensify a crackdown on sites, influencers and payment intermediaries tied to illegal betting, warning that operators rely on both local currency and crypto while users often bypass domain blocks with VPNs. Officials also flagged coordinated work with the central bank and communications regulators to choke off deposits and promotion.
Those priorities were laid out in detail in a police notice highlighting a broader push to shut payment accounts and prosecute people who rent out bank details for gambling. The statement underscored a dual-track approach: curb online visibility and strangle the money flows that sustain the networks. That posture mapped directly to the wider demolition and arrest drives now unfolding along the Thai border, turning policy guidance into field operations. For context on the early enforcement posture and its emphasis on platform takedowns and payment seizures, see the police’s earlier communication on stepped-up actions against online gambling promoters in Myanmar Police intensify crackdown on illegal gambling.
Border enclaves and cross-border crime
Critics and officials alike point out that Myanmar’s illicit gambling business rarely stops at the frontier. Border enclaves that grew into digital gray zones now draw foreign workers, payment mules and equipment from across the region. That makes local raids only part of the job. Regional cases show how operations sprawl across jurisdictions, marketing to bettors in one country, hosting servers in another and cycling funds via accounts elsewhere.
Vietnam’s recent case is instructive. Police there charged 31 people after coordinating with Laos to shutter a ring allegedly handling about VND1.3 trillion in bets. Lao authorities conducted raids in Vientiane, seized phones and computers and transferred suspects to Vietnam. Investigators described a professionalized operation with social media marketing, payment distribution and revenue sharing, the same building blocks found in enclaves along Myanmar’s frontier. The cross-border model and the technology stack mirror what Myanmar’s forces say they are targeting, raising the stakes for wider cooperation. For details on that joint action, see Vietnamese police charge 31 in cross-border illegal gambling crackdown.
The money trail becomes the battlefield
As Myanmar leans on seizures and demolitions, other governments are treating the payment rails as the decisive battleground. Indonesia’s financial intelligence unit, PPATK, took the most sweeping step by blocking more than 28,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling flows. Many of the frozen accounts were dormant shells bought and sold to obscure ownership and move funds for betting operations. The agency framed the freezes as temporary suspensions under anti-money laundering powers, while urging citizens to close unused accounts and report suspicious activity. Public blowback followed as some recognizable names complained their accounts were frozen, but authorities said funds did not belong to those customers and could be restored after verification. The gambit shows what financial controls can achieve quickly at scale, even if it risks collateral inconvenience. Read more at Indonesia blocks over 28,000 accounts in online gambling crackdown.
Yet Jakarta’s officials concede that volume alone does not equal victory. After a year of stepped-up enforcement, a senior minister said the campaign had not adequately disrupted the financial systems that fuel gambling enterprises. He called for more aggressive use of anti-money laundering tools to trace, freeze and seize proceeds, and pushed for deeper international cooperation as gambling evolves into organized transnational crime. PPATK data showed online gambling transactions dropped to RP155 trillion between January and October 2025 from RP359 trillion in 2024, with deposits halving year over year. Those are big numbers, but authorities argued the networks remain resilient and adaptive. The assessment and planned AML shift are detailed in Minister says Indonesia’s online gambling crackdown remains ineffective.
Legal shock therapy in South Asia
Bangladesh is testing whether a top-down legal reset can cool an online gambling surge among young people. Its Criminal Investigation Department launched one of the first actions under the new Cyber Security Ordinance 2025, which criminalizes operating online gambling platforms and carries possible prison time and hefty fines. Investigators said they identified more than 1,000 alleged agents tied to illegal transactions and sent names to the central bank for follow-up actions. The High Court has separately pressed the government to ban gambling ads and report progress within 30 days, signaling tighter scrutiny of digital marketing funnels that draw in first-time players.
The approach blends punitive tools with public education, urging families to warn teenagers about addiction and financial risks and to report suspicious sites to the Cyber Police Centre. While the legal framework differs from Southeast Asian peers, the goal echoes Myanmar’s and Indonesia’s playbooks: compress the space for operators to advertise, accept payments and recycle proceeds. Bangladesh’s opening salvo is outlined in Bangladesh launches online gambling crackdown.
What it means for Myanmar and the region
Myanmar’s current campaign lands at a moment when regional governments are racing to close loopholes across a single market for illicit gambling that functions without borders. The common threads are clear. Operators leverage social media and messaging apps to recruit, VPNs to skirt blocks and a weave of fiat and crypto accounts to shuttle money. Police and regulators respond with site blocking, payment blacklists and high-profile raids, yet results vary with the strength of financial intelligence and cross-border cooperation.
The Indonesian experience underscores the leverage in following the money. PPATK’s freeze of tens of thousands of accounts shows how fast cash flows can be interrupted if agencies have the authority and data to act. But the minister’s verdict that progress remains “not optimal” despite falling transaction values is a cautionary note: without synchronized AML measures and extradition-ready partnerships, enforcement pushes crime to the next weak link. Myanmar’s border focus mirrors Vietnam’s Laos-backed arrests, suggesting that partnerships with neighbors will increasingly define outcomes.
For Myanmar, demolitions and mass detentions send a message, but lasting impact will hinge on what comes next: identity verification, repatriations coordinated with home countries and systematic disruption of the payment scaffolding that lets operators reboot. Earlier police warnings about promoters, influencers and payment renters signal authorities know where networks regenerate. Aligning those efforts with the financial playbooks deployed in Jakarta and the cross-border policing seen between Hanoi and Vientiane will determine whether this crackdown dents an industry built to shift, migrate and resurface. For broader context on Indonesia’s evolving AML strategy and the scale of recent transactions, see the government’s assessment of enforcement gaps.
