Asiawide, of course, such arcades are popular meeting points for youth. They may not be the healthiest or most productive outlets for teenage boredom, but neither are they particularly damaging to moral fiber. Malaysian officials, though, worry that many arcades harbor games where players can gamble illegally on horse-racing or cards.
Students are being tempted, they fret.
So police stepped up raids on arcades, carting away machines and shutting down operators. One depicted an irate operator standing by as police removed his machines. What goes around, comes around. Well, no one is laughing now. The move is not only unwise but will likely be ineffective, as it fails to address the roots of the problem.