An investigation into illegal online gambling advertising

The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) has issued a special directive to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC) and other relevant institutions to immediately launch a comprehensive investigation into the illegal online advertising activities carried out by betting centers in the country.

Dr. Harsha de Silva, Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance, questions how online betting websites operating in Sri Lanka without any regulation are openly conducting their advertising activities. In a post on his social media account, he emphasizes that this is a huge loophole in the current legal system, and as a result, the country is losing billions in massive tax revenue that the government could have earned.

The Chairman stated that during a recent committee meeting, he extensively questioned the relevant state officials about this matter and revealed that he had seen the official government emblem being arbitrarily used for the promotion of some online advertisements. He further stated that since such a serious situation cannot be ignored any longer, a formal order will be issued to the relevant institutions to promptly investigate this issue and submit a full report to the committee.