China: Philippines should ‘ban all online gambling”

On Tuesday, China stated that it believed the Philippines should ban all online gambling, a statement that comes as it intensifies its own crackdown on offshore gambling. It is taking measures to ensure that citizens are not being lured into the gambling industry, a sector that China blames for higher crime and social problems.

“We hope the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling. We hope it will further strengthen law enforcement with China and jointly tackle criminal activities including online gambling and cyber fraud,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a press conference.

“This will help create an enabling environment for the development of bilateral relations and peace and stability in the region,” Geng added.

It is claimed that POGO’s, or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, currently employ 100,000 workers, most of whom are from China. It’s believed that this is done to help accommodate Chinese punters.

This influx of Chinese nationals has pushed up property prices within the capital, with POGOs now overtaking call centres in terms of demand.

However, while POGOs and China’s gambling fever could help the economy, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana accused some of the industry insiders of being Chinese spies, noting that some online casinos are close to key military installations.

Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy in Manila urged the Philippine government to protect the rights of Chinese nationals working in POGOS, saying many of its citizens were illegally recruited and were exposed to “modern slavery.”

The Embassy claimed that gambling fuels cross-border crime, raising particular concerns over money laundering adding that millions of dirty money from China illegally flows into the Philippines.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. said that it would stop issuing licenses to offshore firms seeking entry, until such time that regulators address all issues plaguing the industry.