News Flash
DHAKA, Nov 4, 2025 (BSS) - Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb today said accounts involved in online gambling will be blocked based on fairness and compliance.
He made the remarks while presiding over a meeting titled “What to do to Prevent Online Gambling” held at Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) conference room in the capital’s Agargaon.
Taiyeb said the BTRC has already started sending emails to various online platforms to curb online gambling, and this initiative will continue.
He added that a guideline has been prepared to instruct media houses on how to configure their web browsers and AdSense settings.
The guideline is currently under vetting at the Ministry of Information and will be distributed to all media concerned after approval, he said.
Additionally, a digital advertising guideline has been developed in coordination with the Ministry of Information, which will be published after final approval, said the special assistant.
He said around 5,000 Mobile Financial Service (MFS) accounts involved in online gambling have already been closed.
The government is now taking steps to create a common database to store and monitor relevant information through coordination among government agencies, platforms, and operators, he added.
Taiyeb said limiting internet speed for phone numbers involved in online betting is under consideration.
Moreover, a tripartite meeting with the Election Commission will soon be held to integrate SIM and MFS e-KYC systems, he said.
It is necessary to identify pseudo members of gambling networks, slow down traffic through monitoring, and scrutinize the numbers or MFS accounts used for transactions to rid the country of online gambling, he added.
After verification, these accounts will be blocked — ensuring fairness and compliance throughout the process.
He said a coordinated effort among various stakeholders through a central platform will be continued to maintain social stability, protect youth from moral degradation and prevent money laundering require.
BTRC Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari said limiting the number of SIMs to 10 per user after December 16 will help combat gambling, while identifying gamblers remains essential.
A representative of the Payment System Agency said that integrating SIMs, mobile numbers, and National ID cards (NIDs) could largely solve the problem of online gambling.
A representative of bKash reported that 397 mobile numbers have been deactivated over the past two weeks for gambling-related activity, and a web-crawling engine is being developed to enhance online tracking.
The meeting also proposed establishing a specialized agency—similar to the Department of Narcotics Control—to combat online scams and gambling, and to strengthen cross-domain monitoring efforts.
Representatives from mobile network operators, internet service providers, international internet gateway services, law enforcement agencies, and mobile financial service companies were present at the meeting.
