Online gambling money laundered abroad in four stages, masterminds remain at large

Infographic: TBS

Farhad Hossain (pseudonym), a resident of Uttara, started gambling online in 2022 out of curiosity. What began with occasional bets of Tk100-Tk500 gradually turned into an addiction.

In 2025, he won nearly Tk6 lakh after betting Tk10,000. He used half of the winnings to repay debts and buy a motorcycle, but continued gambling with the rest to get more money.

He eventually lost the remaining Tk3 lakh and borrowed money to recover his losses. Within a month, he had lost Tk10 lakh.

"I started with a small bet. Most of the time I lost. One day I deposited Tk1,000 and got Tk5,000. The next day, I deposited Tk2,000 and got Tk10,000. That made me greedy," Farhad told TBS.

He has since managed to quit gambling, but online betting has spread from cities to rural areas, leaving many people financially devastated.

A survey conducted by the General Economics Division under the Planning Commission, published in January, found that more than 50 lakh people in Bangladesh are currently addicted to gambling and betting, 38% of them young people. 

The survey warned that the number could exceed 2 crore by 2027 if effective measures are not taken.

Money laundered abroad through four layers

According to the Criminal Investigation Department, money generated through online gambling changes hands through four layers before being sent abroad: the gambler, local agent, super agent and, finally, the mastermind.

People are often drawn to gambling platforms through social media advertisements or recommendations from others. Gambling websites and apps typically offer slots, fishing games and live casino games.

Gamblers first deposit money into mobile financial service (MFS) accounts linked to the platforms. The money goes to local agents, who collect small deposits from multiple gamblers.

The agents are usually recruited through the gambling platforms themselves and often do not know one another. They frequently change their MFS numbers to evade law enforcement. They communicate through Telegram, WhatsApp and other encrypted platforms.

Local agents pool the money and transfer it to MFS or bank accounts controlled by super agents, receiving commissions of around 0.4%-2%.

"Online gambling money is transferred abroad through four stages. Local agents facilitate the process in exchange for commissions," CID Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Md Sufi Ullah told TBS.

He said the CID's Cyber Police Centre regularly monitors such activities and arrests suspected agents.

Super agents, who are generally more technically skilled, operate gambling sites and transfer money abroad through digital hundi or cryptocurrencies, according to the CID. The money eventually reaches the masterminds behind the gambling operations.

Agents arrested, masterminds remain out of reach

Between January and 15 September this year, the CID arrested 115 people, including Chinese nationals, for involvement in online gambling and filed 12 cases. Of them, 88 have already been chargesheeted.

On Monday, the CID's CPC arrested two suspected agents, Sajib Dey, 37, and Md Masud Rana, 30, from Rampura in Dhaka.

However, both agencies say those arrested are mainly local or super agents. The masterminds often remain beyond the reach of law enforcement because they operate from abroad and are difficult to identify.

According to investigators, the gambling operations are often run from countries including China, Russia, Malaysia and the UAE. Local and super agents generally do not know the identities of the people controlling the operations.

Describing the online gambling as a cross-border cybercrime, Md Tariqul Islam of the DB Cyber and Special Crime Division-South said, "Online gambling can be played from anywhere and operated from anywhere. It takes place in a virtual world, so we do not have complete control over it."

He said the perception that online gambling can generate large profits from small investments is driving addiction. Organised domestic and foreign criminal groups are also involved, using the platforms to collect and move money abroad.

The DB official, however, said law enforcement operations had significantly reduced online gambling. Authorities have shut down several servers and apps, while Bangladesh Bank has also been raising public awareness about suspicious applications.

Market worth up to $68m

The survey estimated Bangladesh's online gambling market at $62 million-$68 million, growing by 4.7%-6.1% annually.

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit's (BFIU) annual report, published on 15 July, found that 6,222 bank and MFS accounts linked to online gambling received Tk6,144 crore and recorded withdrawals of Tk4,349 crore between 2020 and 2024.

During the period, the BFIU received 1,899 suspicious transaction reports and suspicious activity reports linked to online gambling. Such reports rose sharply from 50 in 2020 to 1,046 in 2024.

This year, the CID has asked the BFIU to suspend 734 MFS accounts and 224 bank accounts linked to online gambling. The BFIU has seized Tk49 lakh from these accounts.

The CID has also identified 763 websites and apps linked to online gambling this year and requested the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to block them.

Dr Md Tawohidul Haque, associate professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at the University of Dhaka, told TBS that youths are stealing money, selling valuables and using family members' money without their knowledge to fund gambling.

"There are also cases where breadwinners spend their entire salaries on gambling after getting paid and even borrow money to continue gambling after their salaries run out. This is creating financial crises in families and putting family peace and relationships at risk," he said.

Tawohidul added that action must be taken against those sponsoring and facilitating gambling addiction. 

At the same time, ICT-related units of law enforcement agencies must use various strategies to identify and bring operators of online gambling sites to justice, he stressed.