(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The Philippine Immigration Service said that in the country's largest crackdown on illegal online gambling operators this year, Philippine authorities arrested more than 200 foreign workers, "most of whom are Chinese citizens."
The Philippine government will completely ban online gambling enterprises known as "Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators" (POGOs) in 2024 on the grounds that organized criminal groups use these platforms as a cover for criminal activities such as human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnapping, and murder.
The Philippine Immigration Bureau said in a statement late Saturday night that the military and other law enforcement agencies raided two locations in the southern Mindanao region on Friday. At one of the locations, law enforcement officers arrested 110 Chinese citizens, 2 Cambodian citizens and 1 Hong Kong resident.
At another operation location, another 131 foreigners were arrested. The detainees were "mostly Chinese citizens" but also included citizens from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.
Immigration said officers seized a "large amount" of computer equipment, mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards during the operation.
The Philippine government is investigating whether some of the arrested persons were involved in crimes related to human trafficking, and the rest will be deported.
"The largest raid in 2026"
In recent years, similar online fraud centers in many Asian countries have continued to attract attention from the international community. Such scams often employ human trafficking victims and use deception or coercion to force them to promote fake cryptocurrency investment projects and carry out other fraudulent activities.
"We will continue to strictly enforce immigration regulations, crack down on foreign nationals who violate their conditions of stay, and ensure that the Philippines is not used as a base for illegal activities," Philippine Immigration Director Joel Viado said in a statement.
He called this operation "the largest POGO raid in 2026."
POGO is the abbreviation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator. This form of gambling operation was initially allowed by the Philippine authorities. With the rapid expansion of the industry, law enforcement agencies discovered that a large number of POGO companies were associated with criminal activities, including telecommunications and Internet fraud, human trafficking, forced labor, illegal detention, kidnapping and extortion.
In 2024, Philippine President Marcos announced a complete ban on POGO operations. Since then, the Philippines has continued to launch a crackdown, closing a large number of gaming parks and repatriating foreign personnel involved, many of whom are Chinese citizens.
Ji Lingpeng, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, told AFP that China is communicating with Philippine law enforcement agencies on the specifics of the case.
He added: "Chinese law prohibits any form of gambling activities, including Chinese citizens participating in gambling abroad or working for gambling companies."
