Philippines says China-focused Pogos have ‘deep’ ties to global criminal networks

Posted on by Vaseline

China-focused online casinos that boomed in the 1990s Philippines may have had “deep ties” to international criminal syndicates during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, a lawmaker leading the investigation into the industry said on Friday.

The Senate investigation into alleged Philippine offshore gaming operators has established links between these gambling companies and foreign criminal groups, Senator Risa Hontiveros told foreign correspondents. “We have seen numerous and deep links with transnational criminal syndicates,” she said.

She noted that two people of Chinese descent were sentenced to a penalty of 3 billion Singapore dollars (2.3 billion US dollars) money laundering case were identified in the Senate investigation for possible involvement in Philippine gambling operations. The online casinos could also be linked to espionage, and money from the industry could have been used in Philippine local elections, she added.
The investigation into the industry has gripped the Southeast Asian country, particularly the case of the dismissed mayor Alice Guo who fled to Malaysia and Singapore and was later arrested in Indonesia. The investigation has raised questions about Guo’s citizenship, as her fingerprints reportedly match those of a Chinese national.

Philippine authorities have filed money laundering and human trafficking charges against Guo and her associates for their alleged involvement in an illegal offshore gambling operation.

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