The government has brought online gambling under criminal offences through the “Cyber Security Act-2026” to curb digital betting and related financial crimes, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told parliament on Wednesday.
Responding to a question from Narayanganj-4 MP Abdullah Al Amin, the finance minister said Section 20 of the Cyber Security Act-2026, issued on April 10, has made online gambling a punishable offence.
Under the law, creating or operating any portal, app, or device for gambling in cyberspace, participating in online gambling, assisting or encouraging such activities, and promoting or marketing gambling-related activities will be punishable, the minister said.
The law provides for a maximum of two years imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk1 crore, or both for such offences.
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has suspended or frozen transactions of approximately 55,000 mobile financial service (MFS) accounts linked to online gambling and digital hundi activities, the finance minister said.
After the Cyber Security Act came into effect, BFIU prepared an intelligence report on online gambling and submitted it to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in May 2026. CID has already filed a case and investigation is ongoing, he noted.
BFIU continues to monitor transactions related to online gambling and is preparing further intelligence reports to identify those involved, the minister said.
Bangladesh Bank issued a directive on 28 May 2025, to all MFS providers to regularly monitor merchant and customer activities to identify involvement with online gambling. If any involvement is found, immediate action must be taken and law enforcement agencies informed, the directive stated.
Additionally, Bangladesh Bank and other authorities are conducting regular awareness campaigns to educate customers about the harmful effects of online gambling and related financial crimes, the finance minister informed parliament.
