China targeting Philippines in offshore gambling crackdown

[The Buzz]

China has renewed warnings against illegal gambling by its citizens in Southeast Asia as it pushes for joint action with regional law enforcement agencies to crack down on the activity.

The most recent warning came last week when the Chinese Embassy released a strongly worded statement saying that Chinese companies and individuals in the Philippines would be “punished in accordance with Chinese law” for any involvement in illegal gambling.

From the statement:

China will focus on investigating and cracking some major cases, including those of organizing gambling overseas and opening online gaming, and will destroy networks of criminal organizations involved in recruiting gamblers from China by overseas casinos and using the Internet to open casinos in China. China will also crack down on "underground banks" and online payment platforms that provide a financial settlement for cross-border gambling and other crimes, and wipe out domestic network operators and companies that provide technical support for such crimes.

From a Bloomberg article:

Online and phone betting in Southeast Asian countries by Chinese punters many miles away has exploded in the last few years and is transforming the developing cities. In the Philippines alone, more than 50 offshore gambling companies have received permits to operate, hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers have surged into Manila to staff the industry, and property prices near gaming sites are booming. Revenue from the offshore gaming industry is projected to reach up to 9 billion pesos ($172 million) this year, according to the Philippines gaming regulator.

There are signs that the offshore services are penetrating more deeply into China’s population than expected. Some online gaming websites offer punters wagers as low as 10 yuan and have round-the-clock live streams, making them easily accessible by lower-income Chinese in rural areas, who do not have the means to go to Macau or other ways of scratching the gambling itch.

The Chinese embassy statement said that the rise of online gambling has resulted in an increase in crimes and social problems in China, and that in connection with telecom fraud has “caused huge losses to the victims and their families”.

Read more from Bloomberg here: https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/a...ffshore-gaming

[Tomas_4578]

China should not interfere in the domestic policy of the country. After all, it is almost a threat and the country can decide to protect

[Cash Bonus]

I don't understand why China is meddling in the business of the people of the Philippines. That's just too much.

[universal4]

Refer to this article for some of the background why China feels that way, even though they have been trying to gain more influence for far longer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%...ines_relations

As for China targeting the operations in the Philippines directly, I am sure they see operators there taking the largest chunk of the action from their residents, so it makes sense.

Rick
Universal4

[ocreditor]

No one wants to be under China hunt...

[PROFRBcom]

China should not interfere in the domestic policy of the country. After all, it is almost a threat and the country can decide to protect

Get accustomed to it. China is going to be the world's largest economy one way or another and in some ways they already are. They will be interfering in many country's sovereign affairs just like the USA has been doing for a century+.

[Sherlock]

Get accustomed to it. China is going to be the world's largest economy one way or another and in some ways they already are. They will be interfering in many country's sovereign affairs just like the USA has been doing for a century+.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/16/cath...-protests.html

[Tomas_4578]

Get accustomed to it. China is going to be the world's largest economy one way or another and in some ways they already are. They will be interfering in many country's sovereign affairs just like the USA has been doing for a century+.

maybe you are right. but I think that now they don't have such big influence on other countries as the USA. and I can't even imagine when they will be able to reach such a level of influence on the whole world, not only on Asia

[Former Member 14]

China has its tentacles everywhere.
Some of the largest cattle stations in the world, are in Australia, and guess who owns them? Chinese conglomerates.

The AU Government has put the kibosh on certain foreign owned AU properties/companies etc., but it's a bit too late. However, the AU Gov., has some contra deal with China, and non-skilled workers are employed out here, with offers to work for 12 months, and then receive a 6 or 12 month travel visa...

They say it's to fill jobs that most Aussies wouldn't do. However, I'm sure it's still take jobs from us, however it's Spun!