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In this series, we break down the specifics of working with different GEOs in the iGaming industry. We share not only basic information about the countries but also practical recommendations from our top experts — owners of buying teams within our holding.

Today, we’ll talk about Malaysia — a large Asian geo with a highly developed gambling and sports betting sector.

Introduction: about the country's population.

Malaysia is a peninsula state stretching on both sides of the South China Sea. The country is classified as Tier-3, but it has a population of financially capable citizens, and traffic is relatively inexpensive.

To set guidelines for future advertising campaigns, let's briefly review the statistics and draw some conclusions.

Population size. According to Population Today, as of February 2025, Malaysia has a population of over 35 million people.

According to demographic forecasts, in 10 years, the population is expected to approach 40 million.

Salary levels. According to Numbeo, Malaysia ranks 53rd in the world in terms of average monthly salary. In 2025, the average local salary is $943.

Major cities. Malaysia has more than 10 large cities with populations of over 300,000 people:

• Kuala Lumpur (capital): ~2 million people
• Klang: ~1 million people
• Ipoh: ~1 million people
• Johor Bahru: ~800,000 people
• George Town: ~800,000 people
• Subang Jaya: ~700,000 people
• Shah Alam: ~650,000 people
• Petaling Jaya: ~650,000 people

The highest salaries in the country are recorded in the capital, but the competition here is also more intense.

Internet penetration. Malaysians are active internet users. According to Statbase data for 2023, 97.69% of the population uses the internet, and this figure is likely to have grown by 2025. 

This is a high figure — for comparison, in Russia, the internet penetration rate was only 81% for the same period. According to the statistics, people of all ages use the internet in Malaysia, including children, teenagers, middle-aged people, and the elderly.

Distribution of mobile and desktop traffic. According to SimilarWeb's report for February 2025, 71% of internet traffic in Malaysia comes from smartphones.

Desktop traffic is also present — to avoid losing it, it's best to adapt creatives and landing pages for PC users.

Internet speed. There is a significant gap between mobile and fixed internet speeds in Malaysia. According to SpeedTest data from January 2025, the country ranks:

• 11th in the world for mobile internet speed
• 43rd in the world for fixed internet speed

This means that any type of creative will work well for mobile users, while only static creatives are suitable for desktop — no one will watch a lagging video.

Religion. Malaysia is a multi-religious country where Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and other faiths are practiced. According to the Britannica online newspaper in 2010, Islam was the dominant religion, followed by 61% of the population.

The majority of believers are Muslims. To ensure that local audiences engage with the creatives, it's best to avoid religious themes and refrain from using images of scantily clad women.

Language. The linguistic landscape in Malaysia is as diverse as its religious makeup. The country is home to speakers of multiple languages, including:

• Malay (official language)
• English (widely spoken, especially in business and urban areas)
• Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, etc.)
• Tamil (spoken by the Indian community)
• Indigenous languages (various dialects used by native ethnic groups)

Due to the abundance of dialects, there is no detailed statistical data on languages in Malaysia. The only official language is Malay, and according to some estimates, more than 80% of the population speaks it.

Currency. The national currency of Malaysia is the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR).

According to travelers, Malaysians do not favor the U.S. dollar or other foreign currencies. If a price is listed in dollars, payment will still need to be made in MYR—so it's best to use the local currency in creatives.

What Motivates Malaysians to Bet and Gamble? According to ResearchGate, most Malaysians gamble and place bets for enjoyment and relaxation—this motivation was mentioned 34 times more often than the desire to make money.

iGaming regulation

Online gambling is completely banned in Malaysia: regulatory authorities block access to casinos and betting platforms while prosecuting organizers. These restrictions, combined with the desire to gamble, create a high demand for offshore online casinos and betting platforms among the local population.

According to Start.io, the largest demand for online gambling in Malaysia comes from young men aged 25-34 and 18-24.

83.5% of users play from Android smartphones than from IOS, and 77.3% of users are men. 

Offline gambling is legal in Malaysia, but that doesn’t make the situation any better. The number of casinos in the country is extremely limited — all of them are located in the Genting Highlands resort area, near Kuala Lumpur.

According to Slotegrator, Muslims are not allowed to enter casinos, but members of other religious groups and tourists can gamble freely. Entry is only permitted for visitors aged 21 and older.

However, the struggles of offline gambling in Malaysia don’t end there. The Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which became the largest political force after the 2022 elections, has plans to shut down the casino, citing religious arguments. The potential closure, depending on PAS’s success in the 2028 elections, could lead to a loss of over $1 billion in annual gambling revenue.

The situation with betting in Malaysia is similar to that of casinos. Offline betting is allowed but heavily restricted. Local non-Muslims are permitted to:

• Bet on horse racing
• Participate in lotteries

However, sports betting and esports betting are strictly prohibited — making Malaysia’s offline betting market essentially “dead” and monopolized by the state.

Main iGaming Directions of Malaysia

The most popular gambling games in Malaysia are dice, baccarat, and slots. Below are the most in-demand providers and slots in the region ↓

Malaysians love betting on sports. According to Kevmrc Travel, the four most popular sports in Malaysia are football, badminton, sepak takraw (a hybrid of football and volleyball), and rugby. To avoid spreading efforts too thin, it's best to focus on football and badminton.

According to TESTA research, the Malaysian iGaming market is expected to reach $1 billion in 2025, reflecting a 30% industry growth in the region. Forecasts predict a GGR of $360 million in 2025, which is 35.5% higher than in 2024.

Tips for working with traffic

Recommendations for working with Malaysia were provided by the owner of one of our buying teams:

"For Malaysia, we actively worked with Plinko and other slots, using angles where people show the gameplay and experience of big wins in slots, talking about their victories and how they'll spend their winnings. It's a classic funnel, demonstrating the gameplay, banking, and wins.

Typically, such approaches combined with Plinko yield average or below-average quality, but in the case of Malaysia, these approaches worked quite well for us and led to good profitability for the advertiser."

Examples of creatives and ideas for approaches:

As for campaign settings, we found that the following combination worked well ↓

Target audience: Consider targeting individuals aged 25 and up.

Placements: Start with broad targeting, increasing the age range, and after conducting initial tests, evaluate the most profitable placements and focus on those.

Launch strategy: It's best to start with the 1-3-1 strategy on low budgets, then scale based on results by duplicating campaigns.

Important: English language and dollars do not resonate well with locals. Use the Malay language and the local currency MYR instead.

iOS campaign nuances:

• Good CTR: The target for creatives should be between 1-1.5%.
• CPI: Aim for $2-3.
• CPM in auctions: For iOS, the benchmark CPM should be $4 and above.

PWA campaign nuances:

• Good CTR: Aiming for 1-2% is ideal. If it’s lower, focus on improving the creatives, but always consider the profitability of the specific campaign, as a lower CTR can still deliver a satisfactory EPC.
• CPI: Target $4-5.
• CPM in auctions: For PWA, aim for $5-6 and above.

Conclusion 

Malaysia is a geo with a good balance of traffic volume, cost, and audience interest in the gambling sector. The iGaming audience and financial turnover in the industry are growing every year, and the relatively high salary levels for Asia, along with the widespread use of internet and mobile devices among the population, provide an interesting perspective for further iGaming development in the country.

If you're looking to drive traffic to Malaysia without turnover restrictions and under the best conditions from direct advertisers, Marlerino Group can provide you with that opportunity. We offer unlimited financial resources, a well-established infrastructure, and exclusive conditions for selling your traffic. If you're an experienced buyer or team owner looking to take your business to the next level, head over to our HR bot and tell us about yourself. Tell us about yourself

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