The High Court on Sunday directed the government and law enforcement agencies to form a seven-member expert committee to investigate the operation of illegal online gambling platforms, identify those involved, and examine the spread of gambling advertisements and celebrity endorsements across social media and mainstream media platforms.
The committee has been ordered to submit its report within 90 days.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi issued the directive after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by concerned citizen Tanjim Rafeed.
Supreme Court lawyer Mahim Rahman, representing the petitioner, argued that online gambling had become a public nuisance and was contributing to financial crimes including money laundering.
He stated that large sums of money were being illegally laundered abroad through such gambling platforms, and pointed out that gambling and betting were prohibited as per the existing laws and the Constitution.
Earlier, two High Court benches had prohibited indoor gambling activities, such as housie, card games, and dice games involving money, at 13 social clubs across the country.
