BY: VASANTHA KUMAR

Trending widely during this Chinese New Year festive season on social media in Malaysia is the issue of gambling and the debate and discussions are on whether it should be banned or allowed for non-Muslims.

The Kedah state government has gone on the upside in what many netizens consider a high handed and abrupt move to ban all forms of gambling without consulting the people of the state and neither have they offered cogent reasons for the ban.

According to Jung Chang and Jan Halliday, authors of the highly acclaimed book ‘The psychology of gambling’, people should not take gambling to the extent that they can become wealthy as this should not be the intent of gambling.

They argue that the advanced and developed countries which allow gambling do so from the perspective of providing high end entertainment that also is linked to improving and enhancing the Quality-of-Life.

Whatever form of gambling, whether horse or dog racing, casino gaming or digit games, the idea is to play for pleasure and hope to get a residual income after calculating the odds and the risks and should not be undertaken as an alternative to gainful and meaningful employment or business.

It should be a win–win situation where gambling operators pay taxes to the government, create much needed employment and punters enjoy and appreciate playing by having in place a Responsible Gaming Policy so as to get value for their money and not go overboard.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher