China to cooperate with Philippines on illegal POGO

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines highlighted that Chinese citizens are “victims of offshore gambling.” A spokesperson of the embassy made these remarks on Thursday in response to a specific question about an incident over the weekend. Local police reportedly targeted several Chinese citizens allegedly connected to offshore gaming business.

This marked the third occasion in a matter of weeks where a Chinese diplomatic mission in the Asia Pacific region publicly cautioned about the risks associated with Chinese citizens’ involvement in gambling.

The commentary on Thursday centered on an incident on April 14 in Metro Manila. A person, purportedly a Chinese citizen linked to offshore gambling business, allegedly attempted to bribe local police with PHP3 million to avoid legal action. This incident followed a raid earlier that day at a residential address in Taguig, Metro Manila, where authorities seized guns and other items.

When questioned about the incident, the Chinese embassy spokesperson stated, “Gambling in any form is illegal according to the law of China. The Chinese government opposes and cracks down on Chinese nationals engaging in the gambling business abroad in accordance with law.”

The spokesperson emphasized, “The Chinese government always requires its citizens overseas to abide by local laws and regulations. Gambling is a social menace. Chinese people suffer as victims of offshore gambling.”

The spokesperson also highlighted that the “Chinese embassy maintains communication with Philippine law enforcement agencies on offenses” related to offshore gambling and “supports the Philippine side in addressing the root causes of the problem arising from” that industry.

Offshore gambling licensing was introduced by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) to regulate operators based in the country and serving overseas players. However, widely-publicized allegations of tax evasion and crimes, including kidnapping, allegedly linked to those operators, prompted PAGCOR to overhaul its licensing system for offshore operators and disqualify or bar some licensees.

It is very important to always play in licensed online gaming websites. Risks are too high when playing in the illegal websites and it is always important to check the operator if they are properly licensed.

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