PETALING JAYA, April 16 ― An advertisement promoting gambling set against a nostalgic Hari Raya melody has been slammed by Malaysians for being tone-deaf.

Titled GDBet333 Hari Raya, the ad did not sit well with many social media users for carelessly urging Muslims to gamble as well as the use of Malay-Muslim talents who starred in the video.

A description on GDBet333’s official website says it is the “Best Online Casino Malaysia (sic)”.

The two-minute-long clip encouraged people to double their fortunes by using the company’s services, especially those looking to increase their wealth for the upcoming Hari Raya festivities.

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The clip has been viewed more than 300,000 times on Twitter.

 

The ad begins with a down-on-his-luck man who strikes big after gambling on the platform.

Following his windfall, he returns to his hometown in a new car which is admired by his friends in the kampung.

The jingle plays while the man promotes GDBet333 to his nearest and dearest.

“GDBet333 ada, apa nak tunggu, marilah cuba, untung nasibmu, engkau berjaya, cuci semua, kemudian beraya” (“GDBet33 is here, what are you waiting for, try it, if you’re lucky, clean sweep and then celebrate Raya” in Malay).

The clip was uploaded on YouTube last week by the local online casino platform but has since been removed for violating community guidelines.

 

Social media users have been sharing the video online which many say is inappropriate, especially for those who are fasting during Ramadan.

In Islam, gambling is strictly forbidden.

Others pointed out that the ad was misleading for teaching Muslims to use winnings from their gambling habit to celebrate Hari Raya.

“Even Genting Highlands casinos don’t have promotions like this,” @Pelabur_Bijak wrote on Twitter.

 

“What is this? Raya song but asking us to gamble,” commented @hedirmusa.

One comment suggested that the clip was produced by the online casino to thank its Muslim customers for supporting the platform.

 

“Hard to believe how this company came up with a Raya ad, or are there a lot of Muslims who gamble?” asked one Twitter user.

“You won’t get rich playing this, you’ll probably end up fighting with your spouse because you don’t have enough money after losing a bet,” said another.