China holds the cards as online betting booms in the Philippines
- Online casinos have gone on a hiring spree for Chinese nationals, to cater to their biggest group of customers
- The Duterte administration is developing warmer relations with Beijing, but debate on the influx of workers continues before next year’s midterms
Education and work experience is not required. There’s free accommodation in an upscale condominium; five meals a day; and 15 days of annual leave with return flights provided. And don’t worry about not speaking any English.
Welcome to the online gambling world of the Philippines. It’s flush with hot cash courtesy of gamblers from China because gaming is illegal there except for state-run lotteries. In response to the sheer number of Chinese gamblers, online casinos in the Philippines have gone on a hiring spree for Chinese nationals to cater to their biggest group of customers.
“We can definitely get you a work visa,” a Manila-based recruiter promised in a message on the Chinese messaging and social media app WeChat.
To a This Week in Asia reporter, who posed as a jobseeker, the recruiter said: “You will first come here on a tourist visa. The company will handle that for you. We will then get you a work visa. You don’t need a high education qualification to get it.
Young man, you should make more money
“Young man, you should make more money,” the recruiter added.
The promised wages are indeed enticing. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the average wage of urban employees in the country’s private sector was 45,761 yuan a year in 2017, or 3,813 yuan a month.
