Chinese offshore gambling workers to lose Philippine visas as industry folds
Chinese nationals at offshore gambling operators in the Philippines will lose their visas as Manila attempts to wipe out the industry
01:45
Chinese offshore gambling workers face Philippine visa cancellation by end of year
Tens of thousands of Chinese citizens in the Philippines to help run offshore gambling services stand to lose their work visas by mid-October, as the Southeast Asian country looks to uproot the industry by year’s end under growing scrutiny from both Beijing and Manila.
Analysts said many – if not most – visa holders working for Pogos come from China and work alongside Filipinos as well as citizens of third countries.
More than 300,000 Chinese workers were employed by Pogos at the industry’s height, but official estimates put the number of those legally employed in the sector this year closer to half that amount.
“I think China is opposed to such online gambling, especially if operating outside China with a penetration among the Chinese population,” said Victor Gao, vice-president of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation.
The Philippine offshore gaming industry breeds vicious crimes and seriously harms the interests of the two peoples
Citizens who stand to lose their Philippine visas are probably providing capital, offering technical expertise or tracking people down to collect gambling debts, Gao said. “You’re talking about a huge dark side.”
In Manila, the government’s Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation said on its website in July that the country would “wind down” offshore gaming firms by the end of 2024.