Bangladesh has placed the Gambling Prevention Bill, 2026 before Jatiya Sangsad, adding new details to a legislative process that began with Cabinet approval last week.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed introduced the bill on 23 June, with the proposed law now set for scrutiny by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within five days.
The bill is intended to modernise the Public Gambling Act of 1867, which remains Bangladesh’s main gambling statute and was designed around physical gambling houses rather than online platforms, mobile payments or offshore betting networks.
The proposed framework introduces definitions for digital gambling platforms, online and remote gambling, digital assets, totalizators, professional bookmakers, match-fixing and spot-fixing.
It also expands potential offences beyond placing bets, covering those who organise, facilitate, promote or provide technical support to illegal gambling operations.
Salahuddin said online gambling had moved beyond a social concern into an issue linked to cybersecurity and financial crime, including the compromise of user data and possible money laundering channels.
Bangladesh has faced growing enforcement pressure around offshore betting platforms, messaging app-based syndicates and payment routes involving local mobile financial services.
AGB reported this week that Bangladesh Bank had ordered all 13 mobile financial service providers to halt gambling-linked transactions, while the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit had suspended 21,725 related accounts.
The inclusion of match-fixing and spot-fixing also places sports integrity within the bill’s scope. That is significant in a market where illegal betting activity is frequently linked to cricket, football and esports events, particularly through foreign websites and private messaging channels.
The bill does not create a licensed gambling market. Instead, it strengthens the state’s legal tools against online betting and associated activity, with fines, imprisonment or both expected depending on the offence.
The latest parliamentary step follows Cabinet approval in principle for the draft Gambling Prevention Act, 2026, which Global Gaming Insider reported as part of Bangladesh’s effort to replace its outdated gambling statute and address online betting, promotion and match-fixing.
Bangladesh’s existing gambling framework dates back 159 years and was written before digital payments, smartphones and offshore betting sites existed
