The National Parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Bill, 2026. Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed placed the bill before Parliament on Tuesday, and it was passed unanimously by voice vote. The new law defines 24 gambling-related activities — including gambling, online gambling, betting, match-fixing, and spot-fixing — and introduces 14 categories of penalties based on the nature of the offence.

While presenting the bill, the home affairs minister said the legislation had been enacted to address the rapid expansion of technology-driven gambling activities. He noted that gambling has evolved beyond traditional physical venues and is now increasingly conducted through digital platforms using smartphones, social media and online payment systems.

He added that the colonial-era Public Gambling Act, 1867 is no longer adequate to regulate modern technology-based gambling. The new legislation has therefore been introduced to modernise the legal framework. It incorporates legal definitions for a range of contemporary concepts, including digital gambling platforms, online and remote gambling, betting, wagering, digital assets and digital wallets, totalisators, professional bookmakers, match-fixing, and spot-fixing.