According to a report by independent current affairs media outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT), a Malaysian court has ruled against Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) petition to recover a MYR26 million (US$6.6 million) gambling debt from local restaurant owner.
The report says the High Court in Ipoh, where defendant Lee Fook Kheun owns a restaurant, determined RWS could not recover the debt because it was a gambling transaction which is void and illegal under Malaysian law. The judge also stated that he was bound by a 2025 Federal Court ruling which reiterated that gambling debts were not legally enforceable in Malaysia on grounds of public policy.
FMT said RWS had filed the petition with the Ipoh High Court in 2021 before Lee challenged the petition on the basis that recovering gambling debts disguised as credit facilities was unenforceable under Malaysian law.
The judge ruled that a gambling debt was a “debt of honor” that was not legally enforceable, adding that Malaysian law supersedes foreign judgements.
“This court is not a rubber stamp to enforce a foreign judgment which is contrary to Malaysian public policy,” he said.
FMT reported that the judge did not award costs against RWS.
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