143,409 SIM Cards Deactivated, Myanmar Firmly Cracks Down on Online Gambling

Myanmar authorities have permanently deactivated 143,409 SIM cards suspected of being linked to online gambling, the state-run daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Monday (22/6). The permanent deactivation was carried out between March 2025 and May 2026 after the cards were found to have been used to send large volumes of identical messages related to online gambling, the report stated. Authorities also blocked 1,120 SIM cards used to operate illegal financial accounts connected to gambling activities, and permanently closed more than 1,000 digital wallet accounts linked to online gambling operations. Additionally, access to 102 gambling websites and applications in Myanmar was blocked through IP restrictions between January 2025 and April 2026, with legal action taken against perpetrators, social media influencers, and other parties involved in promoting online slot game advertisements, according to the report.