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Wonderful Malaysia

Online Gambling in Malaysia: The Devil’s in the Details

There is a large grey area surrounding the issue of gambling in Malaysia. It’s not too dissimilar to the legality of chewing gum in Singapore, where it is basically fine to consume chewing gum (though perhaps frowned upon), but it is illegal to sell it (if you are scratching your head, it is because gum that is not disposed of properly is considered a public menace – if you’ve ever sat on it, you know this to be true). Likewise, a gambling operation hosted by an internet service provider on Malaysian soil is clearly illegal, but the laws are murkier concerning actually patronizing one of these sites, or any other gambling site that is hosted in another country.

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Part of this confusion can be seen in antiquated laws that were written some decades ago when the world wide web was a closed network for military and academic personnel, and it was impossible to conceive of placing an online bet. Also, Sharia law still has a stronghold on the legal instruments in the country, with a growing call from the more religious and conservative voices in the country to outright ban online gambling unequivocally.

Tolerated, but Potentially Prosecutable

Still, people place bets all the time in the country without thinking twice. That is because law enforcement looks the other way. Perhaps there are cases where the powers that be want to target an online gambler for something unrelated and use this particular ‘offense’ as an excuse to pursue legal action, but they could just as easily make up charges if they really wanted to. People in southeast Asia are commonly apprehended on supposed tax fraud or other minimal borderline legal activities that many people, if investigated, would not be 100% innocent in.

Those who are worried about possible prosecution are best to stick to sites that are offshore and located in countries that are gambling-friendly. Malaysian authorities have no jurisdiction outside of their own state, which makes it less likely that any legal action will be pursued. Additionally, sites that are operated in-country are run totally illegally and thus without any regulation whatsoever. They are less trustworthy as a result, and if they were to be shut down on a moment’s notice, your money will almost certainly be in jeopardy.

Further Complications and Loopholes

Rarely a month goes by without news of an unlicensed Malaysian site going down because, well, they are illegal. Still, there are sites based in the Philippines that cater specifically to the Malaysian populace that just wants to get their fix without any complications. Even safer though are sites based in England like LuckyAdmiral. The only complication is that Malaysian banks are blocked that use Visa and MasterCard.

This is where services like the US-based EntroPay come in. With this site, it’s possible to set up a free and usable US dollar bank account that gives you a Virtual Visa Card number. Then, you simply use your Malaysian ringgit card to deposit money into your EntroPay account for a fee of 4.9%.

Again, do so at your own risk, but know that it is fairly easy to fly under the radar and get your gambling on!

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Categories
Cuisine in Melaka

QUONGDONG TO INVEST IN MALACCA

Updated: Tuesday September 22, 2015 MYT 7:05:07 AM
Guangdong eyes Malacca

Strengthening tiesNajib observing the ‘Friendly State and Province’ MoU signing between Idris and Zhu at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya. Looking on are (back row, from left) Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang. — Bernama
Strengthening tiesNajib observing the ‘Friendly State and Province’ MoU signing between Idris and Zhu at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya. Looking on are (back row, from left) Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang. — Bernama

MALACCA: The state has a great potential to be an international sea port by 2025 with fiscal commitment from Guangdong, China.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said Guangdong provincial government was interested to construct harbour facilities to turn Malacca into a top nautical hub in this region on par with Singapore.

“We are talking about a huge investment by the Chinese and once materialised, Malacca will be recognised as the largest port in this region,” he said here yesterday.

Besides the port, Idris said Guangdong was looking at unveiling another airport here as a catalyst to tourism and industrial development in Malacca.

Guangdong governor Zhu Xiaodan, he added, had also expressed interest during his working visit to Malacca on Saturday in focusing on man-made Pulau Melaka’s potential as a tourist port project as well as to cater to the needs of the maritime industry.

“Zhu is looking at the long-term, progressive development here as the state has potential as new growth area for Asean,” he said.

Idris also revealed that Zhu toured the Melaka Gateway residential and commercial property project in Pulau Melaka during his visit.

“Zhu is also passionate about bringing our bilateral ties to greater heights as well as being enthusiastic about a win-win strategy for both governments,” he said.

The state government, said Idris, had created a new portfolio known as International Trade helmed by State Transport and Project Rehabilitation Committee chairman Datuk Lim Ban Hong.

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Tourism Malaysia

37th WAF World Arm-Wrestling Championship

37th WAF World Arm-Wrestling Championship

Date: 25th September 2015 – 4th October 2015

Vanue: Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

The World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) is the official body that governs the sports with 67 countries registered as member and organizes the world championship annually.

The event will last for 10 days with more than 5 categories with different weight classes and set to attract more that 1,500 participants from all over the world.

Malaysia has won to become the next host city of 37th World Arm Wrestling Championship this year and will be the second Asian nation to host WAF World Championship since 2005.

Official website: http://worlds2015.waf-armwrestling.com/

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Open ATP World Tour 250

Malaysia Open ATP World Tour 250

The Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur celebrates its 7th anniversary this year and tennis fans across the country are in for excitement and thrills, as three of the world’s top-ten confirm their participation. Once again the specially built indoor courts at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, will be the host venue for the US$ 1,041,540 ATP 250 tournament.

Date
26th September – 4th October 2015

Venue
Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil

Phone
+603-9222 8811

Website

www.malaysianopentennis.com

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

For All Ages

Malaysia is a country for all. Founded based on diversity, it’s a country that understands the need to have something for everyone. Whoever you are, you’re more likely than not to feel welcome. This is especially true for families.

If countries have ratings, Malaysia would be rated G: Generally awesome, suitable for all ages. With wholesome entertainment and good, clean fun, you never have to worry about looking for ways to spend quality time with the whole family.

But what kind of entertainment can you expect? Let us count the ways:

Parks and Recreation

When we say park, we’re being vague here because to be honest, Malaysia has a lot of parks. There’s the national parks, the bird park, the butterfly park, the regular parks, the botanical park, the… well, you get the idea. The point is, you can never run out parks to visit in Malaysia. Just pick one and make a trip out of it. Even in the city, you will have your pick of parks to visit even amidst the skyscrapers.

Recommended: The KLCC Park in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Play in the sun with your children, then drop by Suria KLCC to do some serious shopping afterwards, or even catch a movie!

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Culture Club

Your trip to Malaysia can be fun and educational. Learn about the country and its history, pick up fun science facts or appreciate the fine arts. You can visit a museum, see an exhibition at the National Art Gallery, listen to the Philharmonic Orchestra, or learn more about Malaysia’s natural resources at Petrosains. Picking up culture while on your holiday? Sounds like a good plan, right?

Recommended: Rather than going to your standard museum fare, give the Royal Malaysian Air Force Museum a try. Located at Jalan Lapangan Terbang Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur, it has more than 20 different aircrafts on display. You can see missiles on fighter jets while the kids can let their imaginations soar as they play pilot for a day.

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Also recommended: Check out the Made in Penang Interactive Museum where 3D art becomes selfie opportunities for your teens (or the teen in you).

The Theme Team

If your family loves theme parks, Malaysia is the right place to be because we love theme parks too! Water theme parks are abundant, while the more niche ones are growing too. Be it a park filled with Legos, or an indoor roller coaster – we’ve got ‘em.

Recommended: Hello Kitty Town in Puteri Harbour, Johor. Who doesn’t love this animated feline? So take some time to go on the rides, check out the gift shop then have a tea break at the Hello Kitty Café. Purr-fect!

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Also recommended: Okay, this park will be open only in 2016 but the 20th Century Fox World in Genting Highlands is sure to be a family-pleaser especially for movie buffs, so watch out for this one!

Get Touristy

There’s nothing wrong with visiting the more famous spots in Malaysia. Hey, they’re well known for a reason, right? They’re also more accessible, have better amenities and more likely to be tourist-friendly. So, go ahead and visit Batu Caves or Cameron Highlands. Leisure away at Langkawi or Tioman. No one’s going to judge you if want to bring the whole family bargain hunting at Petaling Street. Really!

Recommended: All the places we mentioned above.

Back to Mother Nature.

How can we not include this? Nature is best enjoyed with your loved ones and in Malaysia, we’ve got it in abundance. Beaches, forests, mountains, islands, rivers, waterfalls, rare wildlife, peculiar creatures, majestic beasts… Shall we go on?

Recommended: AwanMulan in Negeri Sembilan is tucked in the hills, and is a cozy retreat fro the whole family. Close enough to nature without it being too dangerous for the family, it’s the perfect getaway, only a short distance from the nation’s capital.

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Also recommended: Just go out and you’ll be experiencing some degree of nature. Yes, we’re that kind of country!

Basically, you can’t go wrong with most of the activities you choose to do in Malaysia because there’ll always be something that you’ll enjoy, regardless of your age.

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