The Gambling Prevention Bill, 2026 was passed in Parliament on Tuesday to replace the colonial-era Public Gambling Act, 1867 with a comprehensive new law aimed at tackling online gambling, sports betting, digital casinos, gambling-related fraud and financial crimes conducted through modern technologies.
The bill has been drafted to address the growing use of online betting platforms, virtual private networks (VPNs), proxy servers, mirror sites, social media, mobile financial services (MFS) accounts and digital payment systems in organising gambling activities.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed moved the bill, which was passed by voice vote.
According to the bill, the existing Public Gambling Act, 1867 is no longer adequate to deal with technology-driven gambling offences and associated criminal activities.�"UNB
