Who would have ever thought that there would be the existence of casinos and gambling in a country like Bangladesh? Who would have ever thought of the fact that not only one or two, but 60 casino centers in total are operating right in Dhaka city? These casino centers are as real and glittery as those in places such as Thailand, with gambling machine, liquor and swirling of the money that exceeds to even 100 crore taka every night.
It all happened down to last month, when the country woke up to its “underworld operations” through the crackdown by the law enforcers on some of the leaders of Jubo League, the youth front of the ruling Awami League party. It was quite tough for the people to digest such news. Such “casinos” seem to have sent a wave of shock across them, or in other words, a very shocking disclosure. Nevertheless, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit asked the banks and the non-bank financial institutions to provide it with the information on all accounts of Jubo League chairman Mohammad Omar Faruk Chowdhury. The financial intelligence made this move as part of the government’s ongoing crackdowns on casinos and gambling. The arrests of Jubo League leaders such as GK. Shamim, along with his 7 bodyguards; lastly, one of the prominent leaders of Jubo League: Samrat finally getting dethroned. “Gambling was his only addiction,” claims Samrat’s wife Sharmin Chowdhury. “He had no greed for property, flats or cars…He used to take frequent trips to Singapore to gamble there,” she says.
Of course, such casinos and gambling have been legalized in countries such as USA, Thailand and Nepal by their respective governments. However, in Bangladesh, the social norms of the society does not go side by side with the ideology of gambling, hence why it is still illegal here. Critics would often argue that such gambling is a mere form of entertainment, but it is still against the moral and the social values of this country. Calm and composed otherwise, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, chairman of the Jubo League, doubts that was it really a “sudden” discovery. “You’re saying 60 casinos are in there. Law enforcement agencies, what have you been doing all this time?” he says.
Truth be told, what Omar Faruk said is true. It seemed highly unlikely that it was a sudden discovery. At this point in Dhaka city, the police are in such a position that they have the ability or that power to know everything they want. Not only that, there are other law enforcement agencies such as RAB, who constantly keep an eye on anything that might trouble the government. So the question is. What were they doing all this time? Why did they jump all on a sudden to arrest such casino holders only when the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped in and declared that enough is enough?
The gambling machines that were found seemed impossible to be made in Bangladesh. Trained women were hired from four different countries, including Nepal and Thailand to run the casinos in Bangladesh. It seems that they must have flown in with the permission of some relevant government authorities. There are even accusations that the narcotics department is involved in this case.
Article 18(2) of the Bangladesh Constitution states that the state should take effective measures to stop gambling from becoming a trend. The Public Gambling Act 1867 states that if the owner or occupier of any house, tent, room, space, or walled enclosure gives permission to use the place for gambling, they will be an offender. Even the manager or any other persons who help in other ways for others to gamble would be recognized as an offender.
Therefore, with time, such wrongdoings will continue to solidify in the society until and unless we put an end to this. With time, the trend of illegal gambling joints will continue to pervade. However, we must realize that such gambling is a disease in the society where we live in. It is nothing but a common affliction for our environment. In a country like Bangladesh, neither it is a source of revenue for the government (with the exceptions of Thailand, Nepal, etc.), nor it should be treated as a form of entertainment. One does not need to have extraordinary knowledge of what would be the outcome if actions against such gambling are not taken: everyone has the same premonition regarding casinos and gambling. Moreover, it is our duty to raise a red flag against any sort of wrongdoings. It is high time that we open our eyes and act against corruption or the travesty of governance. Only then, we can make this society a better and a peaceful place to live in.
Adib Akhtab
Staff Writer