The Philippine authorities announced Friday an “intensified hunt” to arrest and expel more than 11,000 foreign nationals employed in virtual casinos, who had until December 31 as deadline to leave the country after the illegalization of these gambling businesses marked by numerous scandals.
“They are now considered illegal aliens, (so) expect intensified prosecution,” said Philippine Department of Immigration chief Joel Anthony Viado in a statement.
Viado said he has ordered the Immigration Intelligence Division to search for the 11,254 foreign employees who have defied the Philippine authorities' ultimatum after 22,609 voluntarily left the country by December 31.
The so-called POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), virtual casinos aimed especially at Chinese nationals, became synonymous with scams, slavery and human trafficking after eight years of activity.
“The President's orders are clear, no more POGOs in the Philippines,” Viado said.
The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., announced last July the outlawing of these online gambling companies and finally made the order official in November, linking their activity to mafia groups and criminality.
These virtual casinos run websites where you can play roulette, poker or slots in digital version and were legalized in the Philippines in 2016 under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
n 2019, these virtual casinos contributed some P104 billion (about $1.78 billion or €1.63 billion) to the Philippine economy, according to data from the Philippine media outlet Rappler. However, they were also linked to criminal activities and mafias.
Despite their illegalization, the Philippine authorities fear that some virtual gambling companies continue to operate underground, but in small groups that can easily move around, rather than in large complexes with hundreds of people as in the past.
Source: EFE Agency.
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