Fed up with the spread of illegal online gambling operators, Malaysian authorities are moving to update the country’s laws to help stem the tide.

It was two years ago that Malaysian authorities began calling for an update to the country’s Common Gaming House Act 1953, which obviously predates the modern communications technology that has allowed online gambling to spread far and wide through this deeply conservative country.

Malaysian police have tried just about everything to combat illegal operators, including blocking thousands of mobile phone numbers to combat SMS gambling and cutting off the power supply to ‘family entertainment centers’ suspected of offering more adult entertainment.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that a draft amendment to the 1953 law had been submitted to the Attorney General’s office and would be introduced into parliament in March.