Malaysia Mother Disowns Son over Internet Gambling Debt

Bong Swee Yin’s son has been missing since August 25th, leaving her with a massive debt he accumulated while gambling online. Son Chai, 25, would stay up all through the night gambling on his computer, and Bong said he had been stealing money from her for the last 8 months to fuel his habit.

While Bong tolerated the gambling and the theft, a recent visit from the Ah Long (Malaysian loan sharks) pushed her over the edge. Son Chai has been missing since August 25, and now the Ah Long are pestering her to take care of the money her son owes them. Bong owns and operates a tyre shop, and the Ah Long threatened to take goods from the shop if she did not cover her son’s debts.

“I can accept and even forgive him for stealing from me over the past eight months. However, leaving me to settle his RM60,000 debt is too much.” Bong has decided to disown her son, hoping that by severing ties with him, the Ah Long will leave her alone.

“Whatever the Ah Long want to do to him, I don’t care anymore. I am very disappointed with his behaviour,” she said.

Johor Bahru deputy police chief Michael Tay explained that most cases handled by the Ah Long involve debts incurred while playing at online gambling sites in Malaysia.

“Many people turn to Ah Long when they get into debts. I urge the public to never ask Ah Long for help no matter how deep the trouble they are in,” said Tay.

Internet gambling in Malaysia is extremely popular, but there are few controls in place to help people gamble responsibly. In fact, according to Malaysian gambling laws, all forms of gambling both online and offline are forbidden. In spite of this, countless foreign-hosted internet gambling sites give players a way to play online.