Philippines hits illegal gambling again
The local authorities conducted 104 arrests in an illegal online gambling raid in Pasig City.
Philippines.- The Philippine authorities have hit unauthorised gaming once again, after making a raid to strike an illegal operation down. The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported 104 arrests after the raid, which was conducted in Pasig City.
According to NCRPO head Director Guillermo Eleazar, the raid was conducted at 1 pm on Thursday and resulted in several arrests, in addition to several PCs, laptops, mobile phones and other devices being seized. The force revealed that, out of the 104 individuals arrested, 93 were Chinese nationals and all of them are facing iolation of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) in relation to Presidential Decree 1602 (Prescribing Stiffer Penalties on Illegal Gambling).
Illegal gambling has turned into a major concern for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and figures show the intensification of their recent work. According to the Phillipine regulator, 170 establishments were raided during the first semester in an effort to wipe out the unlicensed operations across the country.
“The campaign was stepped up in June 2018, after a coordination meeting between PAGCOR, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Immigration, and the Office of the President,” PAGCOR Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) Vice-President Jose S. Tria, Jr. told BusinessWorld back in October.
