Highlights -
Khorshed Alam (real name withheld) has been involved in online betting for more than a decade. He has gambled himself and introduced many to this dark world.
In all this time, the 29-year-old businessman has never seen anyone profit in the long run. On the contrary, he has seen many, including himself, lose their life savings. Speaking anonymously, he said he sold some of their family land and jewellery to fund his gambling.
Despite many such stories, online betting continues to thrive in Bangladesh.
The ongoing FIFA World Cup has provided a fresh boost to the business, with betting promotions spreading across social media platforms and gambling websites remaining easily accessible to Bangladeshi users.
One such Facebook group, with more than 100,000 followers, has been regularly promoting betting around World Cup matches. Another group, having more than 124,000 followers, is doing the same.
Like them, dozens of Facebook groups and profiles are actively running betting promotions around World Cup matches. Many have been created or renamed shortly before the tournament(1,2,3,4). The Daily Star is not naming them so as not to promote them further.
Online gambling increases during any big events like the World Cup, and we are aware of such activities.
Md Tariqul Islam, deputy commissioner, DB Cyber and Special Crime
More than 5 million people in Bangladesh are currently affected by online gambling, and the figure may exceed 20 million by 2027 without proper intervention, according to a report of the General Economics Division (GED) under the Planning Commission.
The GED report, released in January 2026, estimates the Bangladesh online gambling market to be worth about Tk 830 crore ($62-68 million) and growing annually by 4.7-6.1 percent.
The government moved to tackle the issue on June 30, when parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Act, 2026. The law covers online gambling, betting, match-fixing, digital wallets and other technology-based gambling activities.
The law has provisions for penalties of up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 1 crore for involvement in online or remote gambling. Participating in online betting carries a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 5 crore. The law also criminalises the promotion and advertisement of gambling.
Yet, The Daily Star found betting websites and gambling promotions operating openly on social media. According to Meta's Ad Library, at least 210 advertisements promoting betting services were active on Facebook and Instagram within a week of the law coming into effect.
"Online gambling increases during any big events like the World Cup, and we are aware of such activities," said Mohammad Tariqul Islam, deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch’s Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division.
“We regularly conduct drives against such activities, arrest members of the groups involved and file cases against them,” he told The Daily Star yesterday, adding, “Most gambling activities have now shifted online, and we are filing most of the related cases under the new law.”
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Most betting sites reviewed operate dedicated websites that list their agents. Anyone can contact an agent using the phone numbers provided and open a betting account for free. All that is required is a mobile phone number. Each operates through proxy website links that display agent lists and contact numbers.
As part of this investigation, The Daily Star placed bets on 12 sites.
On these platforms, deposits and withdrawals are handled through agents rather than directly by the websites. Agents create betting accounts on behalf of users and instruct them to send money to designated mobile financial services (MFS) accounts such as bKash, Nagad and Rocket numbers listed on the sites(1,2).
Betting can begin with a minimum deposit of Tk 100.
When these correspondents won, withdrawals were processed through the same agent, who transferred the amount directly to their MFS accounts, typically within three to five minutes.
Customer support was also available through Telegram and WhatsApp, indicating a well-established system for handling users' transactions and inquiries.
One agent told The Daily Star that the platform is operated from outside Bangladesh and relies on more than 1,000 agents who remain active almost around the clock.
After several betting transactions and withdrawals as part of this investigation, the same agent also offered incentives for recruiting new users. He promised a share of the company's commission, along with an additional cash reward for snacks.
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The agent said he earns a commission for every new user he recruits, as well as a share of each user's deposits. He also claimed that agents receive a monthly salary.
Shamsuddin Haider Dalim, head of Corporate Communications at bKash, said they follow a robust compliance and monitoring system to detect and prevent illegal financial activities and report suspicious transactions or account activities to relevant regulators, including Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit.
“Using advanced technology and trained professionals, bKash works to prevent online gambling, hundi, money laundering, terrorism financing, and unauthorised fund transfers,” he said.
Muhammad Zahidul Islam, head of Media and Communication at Nagad, said, “Our position is very clear: we do not allow customers to use Nagad's services for any unethical transactions. This applies not only to online betting but to any platform. If a customer makes any suspicious or unusual transaction, we report it to the relevant authorities.”
Social media platforms primarily act against content that poses a direct public harm. Under this framework, tackling online betting is simply not an immediate policy priority for them, said Dr Din M Sumon Rahman, dean of the School of Social Sciences and Head of Media Studies and Journalism at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
"The government must clearly communicate Bangladesh's legal and cultural position to social media platforms, making it clear that online betting is prohibited in the country.
"Many governments have successfully persuaded tech companies to enforce country-specific regulations. Bangladesh can do the same, but it will require sustained institutional effort and effective negotiation."
