Best 38 Live Casinos in Malaysia

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy that is located in Southeast Asia. The South China Sea divides its regions into Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. The total number of states in this country is thirteen, but it also consists of three federal territories. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation. Although half of its population is Malay, minorities consist of Chinese, Indian, and indigenous people.

When it comes to the borders, Peninsular Malaysia has maritime borders with Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. On the other hand, East Malaysia borders Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The name of the capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The official language in the country is Malay, while English comes in second.

As for its economic state, Malaysia has a pretty stable GDP. It records an average growth of 6.5% per year in the last 50 years. Additionally, it heavily relies on its natural resources, tourism, science, commerce, and medical tourism. It has a newly industrialized market economy and ranks 33rd in the world. Malaysia is also a founding member of several international organizations.

Live casinos in Malaysia are extremely popular, even though the law doesn't technically consider them legal. Due to the fact that these sites are not specifically regulated by the government and there are no specific sections for it in the Betting Act of 1953, Malay people are more than welcome to register and play at these sites.

Research has shown that both legal and illegal forms of gambling in this country are extremely popular and Malaysia is one of the centres for this industry in Asia. Although the law states that all those who are caught gambling illegally can face up to 6 months in prison, the government is very lenient towards these activities, which is why the players from Malaysia never face penalties or are pursued in any way.

It is worth noting here that some land-based gambling facilities are legal to operate and the latest amendment for these them was in 2006. As for the online operators/organizers, they can be arrested, but again, the players will not face any penalties. Hence, most of the players in this region access offshore sites that are licensed and regulated by reputable international regulatory bodies.

Malaysia has a pretty long and rich history with the gambling industry. But, the residents here have always had a bit of a complicated relationship with gambling facilities. The major breakthrough came in 1953 when the Betting Act was introduced. With it, even though most forms of gambling were made illegal, lotteries and betting on horse races were considered legal.

It is worth noting, however, that players can only bet on horses at the racecourses. Additionally, there is just one legal gambling venue in all of Malaysia – the Genting Highlands Resort.

As for the reason why the residents had a pretty complicated relationship with the gambling industry, it is because as stated earlier, the population in this country is mixed and there are a lot of Muslims. Hence, the Sharia Law forbids them to participate in all sorts of gambling-related activities.

But, other people became more than open to enjoy the latest casino games. As time went by, online casinos started becoming popular on the market and Malay players became extremely fond of them. Since the government did not allow online casinos to be based in the country, the residents started registering and playing at offshore sites.

These days, even though the online gambling industry is technically illegal, it is booming in this country. Live casinos are a common choice for Malay players as they play the latest live casino games and place bets online every day. Not only that, but Malaysia is also one of the most popular markets in this part of Asia.

The future of online casinos is very hard to determine in Malaysia. One thing that is certain is that the popularity of these sites will continue to grow. Live casinos are set to be the future of the online gambling industry as they provide players with a unique gaming experience. But, when it comes to its legal status, it is unlikely that a change will be made.

The reason for that is the country has a dual system of law – on one side stand the Sharia Law courts, while regular courts are on the other side. Gambling is actually one of the most discussed topics between these two sides but both of them hold to their arguments quite hard.

There could be a number of benefits that Malaysia would reap if the online casino industry is legalized. The country would receive millions of dollars in taxes, employ thousands of people, but most importantly, the crime rate would go down as some statistics show that the illegal gambling rings in Malaysia gross several billions of dollars annually.

However, Sharia Law cannot be ruled out. After all, a huge part of the residents in this country are Muslim and their voices need to be heard, as well. The bottom line is, that only time will tell how Malaysia will handle this situation.

Players that do access live casinos are using their mobile phones very often these days. The trend of mobile gaming is likely to be part of the future of live casinos in Malaysia. The number of mobile Internet users in the country in 2020 was 30.06 million. Statistics show that by 2025, that number will increase to over 35 million, which is a significant jump.

Live casinos and general online casinos are well-aware of this fact, which is why they have already optimized their sites for mobile use by using the latest HTML5 technology. In the future, it is expected for them to develop apps and make access easier and the overall mobile gaming experience much more pleasing.

At the moment, most forms of gambling, both online and offline are considered illegal in Malaysia. The only facility in the whole country where gambling is allowed is the Genting Highlands Resort. Apart from that, the second legal form of gambling is betting on race horses, but even this activity comes with certain restrictions.

While Malay residents are allowed to bet on horse races, they are not allowed to do it online or at physical betting shops. The law states that they can only wager on this sport at the racecourses.

As for online gambling, it too is formally considered illegal, but considering the fact that the law does not apply to offshore sites, foreign operators are free to offer their services to players from Malaysia. That is why this activity is actually pretty popular in the country.

But, the one thing that players need to remember is that they always need to access foreign operators for one additional reason. The law does not allow any Malay-based live casinos to operate in the region. That means that players will not be safe if they register and play at Malay-based casino sites.

There are three main laws that regulate live casinos and land-based casinos in Malaysia. They are:

• The Betting Act of 1953
• Common Gaming Houses Act of 1953
• Sharia Law

Out of these three, the main law is the Betting Act of 1953. According to this legislation, all forms of gambling, except betting on horse races at racecourses are not allowed. Those that are caught as illegal operators may serve up to 5 years in prison.

The difference between the Betting Act of 1953 and the Common Gaming Houses Act of 1953 is that while the Betting Act focuses more on online betting, the Common Gaming Houses Act takes all forms of gambling as well. According to this law, players that are caught gambling illegally can serve up to six months in prison or pay a fine of 5,000 ringgits.

Finally, the last law that regulates gambling activities in Malaysia is the Sharia Law, which applies to Muslims in the country. Around 60% of the Malay population are Muslims, so this law is part of the country’s Constitution. In layman's terms, the Sharia Law also forbids all types of gambling. Not only that, but it is also worth mentioning that Malaysia acknowledges Sharia courts, meaning that the country has a dual court system. Considering the fact that gambling is formally illegal here, there is no specific regulatory body that oversees this industry.

But, since Malay players can access offshore sites, they need to make sure that the operators where they register are licensed and regulated. The government does not have a system that is designed to block unlicensed sites, which means that there is a chance of registering at a scam site.

With that being said, Malay players need to always make sure that the live casinos are licensed and regulated by reputable international regulatory bodies such as the Malta Gaming Authority, or the UK Gambling Commission.

The favourite live games of Malay players are traditional Asian-themed live casino games. The list includes the likes of Live Dragon Tiger, Live Sic Bo, and Live Baccarat. Lucky Wheel also deserves a mention as some players are fond of it too.

Coming up next is live poker. This game requires a lot of skill instead of luck, which makes it a bit challenging. Since players from Malaysia are more than open to facing these so-called challenges, they are more than open to accessing and playing this game.

Not only that but live poker is extremely interactive and comes with great prize pools. Hence, it provides Malay players with a pretty unique gaming experience. The most popular variants of live poker are Three Card Poker and Texas Hold’em poker.

When Malay players visit online casinos, they always want to have the best gaming experience. So, they are always on the lookout for the best game providers. The more reputable the provider is, the better the game will be, and ultimately, the experience will be much more pleasing.

With that being said, the most reputable name in the live casino area is Evolution Gaming and that is the provider that Malay players always look for. Additionally, Asia Live Gaming is known for supplying live casinos with the best Asian-themed live games, so this provider also ranks high.

Other game providers that Malay players like are Microgaming, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Play’n GO, Quickspin, Playtech, and Pragmatic Play. All of these brands are very reputable not just in Malaysia, but all around the world.

Some other casino games that are popular in this region are also regular casino games such as slots, poker, blackjack, and roulette. In the recent period, even Bitcoin games started gaining popularity due to their unique gameplay and HD graphics.

Thanks to these features, players are provided with an extremely pleasant gaming experience. As the name of the games suggests, players need to make a deposit using Bitcoin.

The most preferred casino bonus for players that access live casinos in Malaysia is the casino welcome bonus. In most cases, this offer provides them with a match deposit bonus. Some live casinos may even reward the players on their first 3-4 deposits. It is worth mentioning that additional bonuses may be part of the welcome offer.

Next, we have daily bonuses. Many operators will reward players with all types of bonuses if they deposit a certain amount on a specific day. Reload bonuses also deserve a mention as they too can be rewarding.

Finally, cashback bonuses are the last entry. The reason why they are so popular is that they redeem some of the lost amounts that players will have on live casino games over a certain period. Not only that but the terms and conditions of these bonuses are pretty simple.

First of all, to claim all these bonuses, players must be registered at a live casino. Welcome bonuses come with the highest number of terms and conditions. To claim them, the player must make the minimum required deposit amount. Not only that, but the welcome bonus often comes with market restrictions and timeframes, which is why it is essential to read the T&Cs.

Daily and reload bonuses in most cases have one T&C. They come with a minimum deposit amount and a maximum bonus amount that the players can receive. Finally, as stated above, cashback bonuses are the easiest to claim. Players just need to play live games over a certain period then log in and claim the bonus on the specified day.

Some live casinos may also require players to type in bonus codes or contact their Customer Support team to claim the bonuses. More so, some deposit methods may be considered ineligible to claim the bonuses. Since all of these things vary from one live casino to another, it is very important for players to read the terms and conditions and see whether they are eligible to claim them or not.

The most preferred payment methods in Malaysia are e-wallets. The biggest advantage that comes with e-wallets is that they are provided with instant withdrawals, which is not the case with other methods. The most popular e-wallets in Malaysia are Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal.

However, it is worth noting that some live casinos consider e-wallets, especially Skrill and Neteller as ineligible to claim the bonuses. Additionally, e-wallets are often subject to fees which is why players need to read the terms and conditions concerning banking.

Some other payment methods that are also popular in this region are bank transfers and mobile pay methods. With bank transfers, the withdrawals may take longer to be processed, but unlike e-wallets, they do not come with fees.

Less popular payment methods in Malaysia include credit and debit cards. Since transactions made with these methods are easy to track and as stated earlier, live casinos are technically illegal in this country, the residents do not use them quite often.

Bitcoin also deserves a mention as this cryptocurrency has had a rise in popularity recently. Not only can players gain access to unique games, but they also reap numerous benefits. For starters, all deposits and withdrawals are instant. Due to the fact that Bitcoin provides players with a certain level of online anonymity, their security is greatly increased, and finally, by using this cryptocurrency, players avoid all types of fees.