Earlier today, the Chinese Embassy in Manila revealed that the Chinese Government is ready to join forces with the Philippines to fight illegal offshore gambling in the country.
The embassy also confirmed that China had already helped the Philippine authorities cease the operations of three illegal gambling zones and repatriate almost 400 Chinese citizens. It also called for the Philippines to take stringent measures to crack down on such activities.
In a statement issued earlier on October 11th, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said that crimes induced by online gambling have negative effects on the interests both of China and the Philippines and the relationship between the two nations. As a result of the law enforcement cooperation of the two countries, it was discovered that some employees of unlawful offshore gambling operations took advantage of some judicial procedures in the Philippines by fabricating cases to avoid repatriation.
Furthermore, the Embassy also said that China is willing to further collaborate with the Philippine Government in finding a solution to such situations in order to make sure that laws are enforced and the individuals who stand behind illegal gambling operations are served justice. As mentioned above, the Chinese Government also called for its counterpart to make sure it takes stronger measures to crack down on crimes that are associated with the so-called POGOs (also known as Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) and eradicate all social ills swiftly and decisively.
Chinese and Filipino Law Enforcement Agencies Jointly Handle Repatriation and Other Matters Linked to Unlawful Gambling
The two countries seem to be willing to continue enhancing their communication and cooperation, and their law enforcement agencies are preparing to jointly handle repatriation among other related issues linked to illegal gambling activities.
Currently, all forms of gambling, including online gambling and overseas gambling operations by Chinese citizens are not legally allowed on the territory of the country.
In the last few years, the law enforcement agencies in both China and the Philippines have managed to keep their good relationship, involving coordination and communication so they have even carried out a number of operations to crack down on cross-border gambling, online and telecommunications frauds, etc. Their actions have also managed to protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens in line with the country’s legislation.
So far in 2023, the Chinese Government has assisted the Philippines in cracking down on three illegal offshore gambling parks in the country. Their joint efforts have also seen almost 400 Chinese citizens repatriated back to China after identity verification. The relevant agencies from both parties shared their satisfaction with the results of the law enforcement cooperation.
As previously reported by CasinoGamesPro, offshore gambling emerged in the Philippines in 2016 and, since then, the practice has grown exponentially, as operators have been piling on the more liberal gambling legislation of the country, allowing them to target customers in mainland China, where gambling is currently fully suspended.
