Philippines’ China-centric casinos seen deeply tied to global crime syndicates
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The investigation into the Philippine offshore gaming operators industry has gripped the Philippines, most notably in the case of dismissed mayor Alice Guo.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
MANILA – China-focused online casinos that boomed in the Philippines during Mr Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency may have deep links to international crime syndicates, a lawmaker leading the probe on the industry said on Sept 20.
The Senate inquiry on so-called Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) has established ties between these gambling operations and foreign criminal groups, Senator Risa Hontiveros told foreign correspondents.
“We have seen numerous and deep links to transnational crime syndicates,” she said.
She noted how two people of Chinese origin convicted in Singapore’s US$2.3 billion (S$3 billion) money laundering case
The online casinos could also be linked to spying, and money from the industry could have been used in Philippine local elections, she added.
The investigation into the industry has gripped the Philippines, most notably in the case of dismissed mayor Alice Guo, who fled to Malaysia and Singapore, and was later arrested in Indonesia.
The probe has raised questions about Guo’s citizenship, with her fingerprints supposedly matching that of a Chinese national.
The Philippine authorities have filed money laundering and human trafficking complaints
Guo has denied wrongdoing and involvement in Pogo operations.
She said she divested her stake in 2021 in Baofu Land Development, which she incorporated in 2019 together with Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, the two who were convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case.
Baofu allegedly owns the property and buildings where illegal activities were committed, according to the Senate inquiry.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in July ordered the shutdown of Pogos by the end of 2024 after congressional inquiries into Guo bolstered calls for the closure of the industry. BLOOMBERG
