The Daily Star on 19 July 2026 reported that online betting promotions and gambling websites remained accessible to Bangladeshi users after parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Act on 30 June.
Correspondents wrote that they placed bets on 12 sites, opened accounts on a mobile number, and deposited from Tk 100 through bKash, Nagad and Rocket numbers named by agents. Winnings, they wrote, returned in three to five minutes.
According to Meta’s Ad Library as cited by the paper, at least 210 advertisements promoting betting services were active on Facebook and Instagram within a week of the law taking effect. Two Facebook groups promoting World Cup bets had more than 100,000 and 124,000 followers, the paper said.
Deputy commissioner Md Tariqul Islam of DB Cyber and Special Crime told the paper that online gambling rises during major events such as the World Cup and that most cases now go under the new law.
Reporting from The Daily Star, 19 July 2026.