So finally it's official.
After more than three years of drama, press conferences, and chest-thumping, the Federal Court in Putrajaya has said it in plain language on August 12th: Kedah cannot close down Sports Toto, Magnum, Damacai and the rest just because the state government doesn't like them. The highest court in the country threw out the state government's last attempt to appeal.
And just like that, the shutters that were forced down on January 1st, 2023, can go up again.
If you were sitting in any kopitiam in Sungai Petani or Alor Setar the last few days, this is the only story people are talking about. Not because everyone here is a punter. But because everyone here is tired.
Let's be honest about what happened. In November 2021, our MB announced Kedah will be a gambling-free state. Morally, it sounds powerful on ceramah stage. Practically, what did it do? The Federal Government still issues the gaming license. That license is still valid. It's still legal under Malaysian law. But the state said, "We won't renew your Majlis business premise license." It's like saying; I can't cancel your driving license, so I will lock your garage door.
The High Court in Alor Setar said that was unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal said the same thing by 2-1 majority. They said local council powers are to check your toilet, your fire exit, your rubbish, whether your shop is a public nuisance - not to decide on morality for the whole Federation. Now the Federal Court has slammed the final door. Case closed.
Now, let's talk like common people, like rakyat marhaen.
Who walks into these 4D shops? Be honest lah. Have you ever seen an Ustaz queuing up to buy a Toto ticket? Have you ever seen a Malay uncle in songkok shouting "Boss, number apa hari ni?" No. The people inside are mostly our Chinese and Indian uncles, aunties, that Ah Pek who checks his newspaper for three hours with one kopi O. They are non-Muslims. They are not breaking any law of their religion. Why do we so busy want to save them from themselves?
Try to do something more positive to help the rakyat lah. Our roads in Kedah still have potholes big enough to breed ikan keli. Flood comes every year in Baling and the people still sleep in dewan. Those are real problems. Closing a legal shop that pays millions in tax - how does that help the farmer in Yan?
And that is the part they never talk about on stage. These companies - Sports Toto, Magnum - they are not some ah long operation in the back lane. They pay tax. Heavy tax. Federal tax. That tax goes into the national coffers. And where does that money go? You and I know. It pays for BR1M, for STR, for schools, for hospitals. And yes, maybe it was also used to bail out TH and to clean up the mess of 1MDB. So the same money that some call "haram" suddenly becomes very "halal" when it is used to cover our national embarrassment?
You want to talk about sin? Okay, let's talk about illegal bookies. Because the day the legal shops closed, did gambling stop in Kedah? Please lah. It exploded. Every Taman has at least one runner. On WhatsApp, on Telegram, everyone got a kaki. "Bang, mau nombor?" Illegal bookies banyak! They don't pay one sen tax. They don't have a license. They don't ask for IC. Your 15-year-old son can buy from them. And nobody raids them with the same energy they used to seal a Toto shop with MB's photo op in front.
Which makes a simple man like me wonder. Why so fierce against the legal, taxed, camera-watched shop, but so quiet against the illegal, tax-free, underground shop? When you close the legal shop, you are basically giving a giant business gift to the illegal bookie. You chase the customer straight into his arms. So I have to ask the cheeky question: is there a connection somewhere? Under the table? Underground? Because from where I sit, only the illegal bookie were celebrating this ban. He should have given the state government a medal.
This is the satire of our politics. We love to play holy. Closing a 4D shop is cheap, easy, and looks good on a poster. Fighting illegal gambling is hard, dangerous, and doesn't get you votes.
So what's next, I wonder? After the courts have said you can't ban 4D shops, what will be brought to court next to be banned? The beer in 7-Eleven? The pork in non-halal section? The cinema because the seats are dark? Where does it end?
Nobody is asking Kedah to become Las Vegas. We are just asking for some common sense. If a thing is legal under the Federal Constitution, if it pays tax, if it is for non-Muslims, let it operate. If you want to educate people not to gamble, go ahead. Do more ceramah, build more sports complexes, and create more jobs so people don't need to dream of striking 4D to pay their house loan.
But don't use the law as a religious costume. The Federal Court has already told us - that costume doesn't fit.
Welcome back, Uncle Toto. The Ah Peks have missed you.
ENDS
BY
Sam Trailerman
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