Published
Legal & Regulatory

The Philippines detains 1200 Chinese citizens accused of running illegal gambling operation

A na

Duterte
tion-wide crackdown on online gambling in the Philippines has led to the detention of more than a thousand Chinese nationals, raising concerns from China’s Foreign Ministry and potentially straining ties between the two countries.

1200 Chinese workers were operating in call center-like facilities in former U.S. air base, Clark Field, where the Philippines immigration bureau believed an online gambling operation was being run.

Many of the Chinese nationals are thought to be working in the Philippines illegally.

Gen Shuang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: “China expresses concern over the large number of Chinese citizens detained by the Philippines.” But also noted that China had requested the Philippines make arrangements for those who had been detained and to release those with legal identification.

It’s unknown if the Chinese nationals are being held for gambling or immigration violations. Gambling is legal in the country but only if permitting and zoning regulations are followed.

China has supported the Philippines' other law enforcement efforts, including President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, which has drawn wide-spread condemnation from Western countries over extrajudicial killings.

Duterte has made efforts prior to this incident to improve historically strained ties with China, which have been plagued by territorial disputes in the South China Sea, making this a surprising move by the Philippines.

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Soft2Bet
Scientific Games
Digitain Malta
Follow Us

Facing Facts: Q3 2024 analysis

Gambling Insider takes a look at the Q3 results of operators...

Taking stock: The final count of 2024

Gambling Insider tracks operator and supplier prices of some...

CEO Special: Flutter CEO Peter Jackson – Playing to win

As the biggest publicly traded operator in gambling meets th...

CEO Special: Holland Casino CEO Petra de Ruiter – High flier

Petra de Ruiter, Holland Casino CEO, speaks to Gambling Insi...

A welcome from your host

A message from the Founder of the Global Gaming Awards and G...

From the event manager

A message from the Event Manager of the Global Gaming Awards...

From the Awards adjudicator

KPMG in the Crown Dependencies is the official voting adjudi...

The process

The Global Gaming Awards have deservingly earned the reputat...