Illegal gambling in the Philippines: 35 deported

Those deported were arrested in a raid on an alleged illegal offshore gaming operator in Lapu-Lapu City.

The Philippines.- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has reported that 35 Indonesians arrested during a raid on an illegal offshore gaming operator at a resort in Lapu-Lapu City last Wednesday (October 23) were blacklisted and deported to Indonesia over the weekend.

Immigration commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said those deported were among over 100 foreign nationals arrested in the raid, which was coordinated by the BI along with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). 

According to The Manila Times, Viado said: “The arrest and subsequent deportation of these foreigners send a strong message that illegal online gambling operations will not be tolerated.

“We remain committed to upholding the President’s directive to ban such activities, and we will continue to work closely with other government agencies to ensure that those involved in illegal operations are brought to justice.”

Foreign workers employed by offshore gaming operators had until October 15 to voluntarily downgrade their visas from work visas to temporary visitor visas. Last week, justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla reported that over 5,000 foreign workers have not filed for a downgrade of their visas, which means the visas will now be changed to tourist visas automatically, allowing holders to stay in the Philippines for a maximum of 59 days.

The BI previously warned that if workers did not leave the country before December 31, it would commence deportation proceedings. The BI had reported that by October 15, 12,000 foreign offshore gaming workers voluntarily applied for the downgrade of their visas.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Jonvic Remulla has said he will ensure the closure of all offshore gaming operators by year-end as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He said there would be a final inspection of offshore gaming operators on December 15 and that they must be completely closed by December 31.

Remulla also warned about reports suggesting that Timor Leste could be a destination for gambling operators leaving the Philippines due to the incoming ban. The DOJ said it alerted Timor Leste about potential socio-economic and security challenges if it permits offshore gaming operators to operate within its borders.