Philippines to Deport 40,000 Chinese in Shutting Down 175 Online Casinos

Online Bingo

Aside from dice or card-based games, most land-based casinos in the Philippines also offer online bingo. It’s an easy-to-learn real money game that lets you play with or against other players. Just like other casino games online, online bingo is available in different variants which can work for different types of players. Some of the popular bingo variants in land-based casinos are 30-ball, 75-ball, and 90-ball bingo. Legal online, casinos require you to purchase a virtual card and mark the numbers of the cards as they are announced. If you’re the first to match a pattern, you win real money prizes.

Come as a Group, Leave as a Group: The Closed-off and Exclusive Life of the Spinach Eaters

The Chinese and Taiwanese who come to the Philippines often jokingly refer to gambling (博彩 bócǎi) as “spinach” (菠菜 bōcài) and refer to themselves as “spinach eaters.” The tens of thousands of people eating spinach have also formed a unique culture and way of life within the local environment as a survival tactic.

Walking on the streets of Manila, you can see signs such as “Lanzhou pulled noodles” “Sichuan Hot Pot” or “Dongfanghong” everywhere. Chinese restaurants have begun infiltrating the streets and alleys alongside eye-catching simplified Chinese; Taiwan’s bubble milk tea and Xiaolongbao are also readily available. The delicacies of the hometown comfort the foreign migrant workers.

These spinach eaters do not work in the same way as the white-collar workers sent to the Philippines; they rarely go out alone, and their work and life always follow the motto of “Come as a group, leave as a group.” Under the company’s arrangement, most of them live in hotel-style apartments collectively and take air-conditioned buses to and from work. Once the work is over, they will be sent back to their accommodation to rest. Many supervisors interviewed told us that Manila’s public security is not good and unnecessary risks should be avoided.

A white-collar worker sent to the Philippines for two years and worked in the shipping industry observed that gambling industry workers are actually quite easy to identify. They are “young,” “move in groups” and “somewhat exclusive.” Perhaps it is because they don’t have much experience going abroad, they rarely communicate with locals. There is almost no boundary between their life and work, and company policies restrict their freedom. Also, due to their industry’s nature, they have to guard themselves against the outside world mentally. It is rare to see gambling industry workers on the jeepney, the most common means of transportation used by local office workers, which frequently travel along the streets and charges 8 pesos for a ride (about 12p).

Fill 1

Xiaohua, who works in Manila, never rides a jeepney. Even if she is only 5 minutes away from home, she still books a private car. A few weeks before the interview, her colleague was robbed at knifepoint on the street, and he was stabbed in the stomach. After calling the police, the case could not be solved. The serious gap between the rich and the poor and the corrupt public order cause many in the gambling industry to live in fear. However, she was worried about more than one thing. Xiaohua’s mobile phone has only recently received a few widely circulated “teaching materials.” Pressing the play button, a young man in his early 20s appears, his hands tied behind his back, and he is then beaten with an electric shock baton surrounded by three large men. The young man cried and fell to the ground whilst his colleagues around him stand shocked.

After asking her cautiously, Xiaohua finally revealed that the supervisor tortured the man in the video for privately selling the list of gamblers. In the gambling industry, an industry that requires extreme “loyalty,” his behaviour violated taboos. Some in his position have even lost their lives and become common murder victims lying on the Philippines’ streets.

The limited living environment, the large transactions of money and sometimes the risk of working for illegal companies all serve to deepen the “closedness” of the mind of migrants living down south. In order to survive under such huge pressure, some people choose to accumulate wealth in a short period of time, and some people pay for sex, and some even “relieve pressure by gambling.” Xiaohua is an example of this.

“When I win, I feel lucky. I can win tens of thousands of dollars. When I lose, I don’t feel so happy. When I think about it, it’s just a way of killing time, that money was there to be lost anyway.” In the past two months, she went to physical casinos 6 times and lost more than 100,000 pesos (about £1,500). She doesn’t care that the money she earned by working her life away can disappear so easily because she has other investment plans in her heart, that is, “buying a house,” which is the way almost every Taiwanese who come South plans to make money.

Casino Bonuses

Bonuses and casino promotions are now standard offerings in top online casinos. We can help you choose the right operator by comparing the casinos by taking a look at the quality and diversity of bonuses offered. Some of the top casino bonuses that we consider are the no deposit free spins, reload bonuses, and the new customer bonus. Among these promotions, the Welcome bonus is the most popular and lucrative. It’s available for new customers and it’s packaged as a bundle with a deposit bonus and free spins. For example, a top online casino may offer a 100% deposit match up to $200 with 100 free spins playable on certain online slots. There’s also the reload bonus that’s available when depositing additional funds.

We don’t just focus on the number of free spins or the amount of the bonus; we also pay attention to the terms and conditions including the playthrough requirement associated with the games of the casino and use of casino chips. Most legal online casinos offer a x30 up to x60 playthrough requirement for the welcome bonus. Also called the wager/wagering requirement, it spells the number of times you need to wager the welcome bonus before a withdrawal of winnings is possible. Our team also pays attention to the validity period or minimum bets associated with the welcome bonus or other promotions.

Conclusion

The gambling business in the Philippines continues to develop actively, despite a significant decline in this industry in many other countries. Casinos in Manila and other cities attract customers from different countries. It also applies to online casinos. Philippine online services are known all over the world for their reliability. Now you know everything about working with online gambling in the Philippines, and you can safely start playing.

Payment Methods

We take a look at the quality of its Cashier section and we assign a higher score on the casinos if they offer reputable and multiple payment platforms. Online casinos should provide you with a decent selection of payment processors that include e-wallets, Visa, MasterCard, bank wire transfer, PayPal, Trustly, and ecoPayz.

Pros & Cons

• Over 2000 popular slots
• 24/7 customer support
• Monthly cash tournaments
• Games from 50+ providers
• Multi-tier loyalty program
• negativeLimited language options
• negativeNo telephone support

Continue Reading

Previous Nightlife asks for ‘generally reopening’ in open letter: ‘We can no longer accept the failure of strategy’

Next The French actress presents herself as a victim of Gerard Depardieu: ‘I can no longer be silent’

China has said it hopes the Philippines will ban online gaming to support its crackdown on cross-border gambling, which it said foreign criminals had used to embezzle funds and illegally recruit workers, reports Trend referring to Reuters.

The Philippine gaming regulator has banned licenses for new online gaming firms, as lawmakers and some ministers have called for tighter controls on Chinese visitors, saying many are illegal workers whose presence fans security concerns.

Although China welcomed the Philippine move to stop accepting applications for online gaming licenses, its foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “We hope the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling.”

The remarks were in the transcript of a news conference published on Wednesday by the Chinese embassy in Manila.

“We hope it will further strengthen law enforcement with China and jointly tackle criminal activities including online gambling and cyber fraud,” Geng told a news conference on Tuesday, the transcript showed.

He also lauded a ban on online gambling announced by Cambodia.

“Online gambling is a most dangerous tumor in modern society detested by people all across the world,” Geng said of the Cambodian move. “It is a shared hope that this problem could be effectively dealt with.”

An influx of Chinese into the Philippines started in 2016, coinciding with the rise of President Rodrigo Duterte, who backed the gaming regulator’s move to license internet gambling.

The number of Chinese holders of work permits quadrupled in the two years since Duterte took office to about 110,000 in 2018, government data showed, making China the biggest source of expatriate workers in the Philippines.

That compared with nearly 5,000 issued to Japanese and just over 600 to U.S. citizens.

Vast sums of Chinese money were ending up in the Philippines via money laundering and underground banking, China’s embassy in Manila has said, adding that citizens were being illegally drawn into an industry that fueled social problems and crime at home.

It said citizens’ rights were being violated and dozens were kidnapped, tortured and physically abused by local employers who confiscated their passports, calling for measures to prevent and punish the Philippine casinos.

Philippine offshore gaming operators are a big boon for the economy, however, with China’s insatiable appetite for gambling helping to fuel office and residential demand and drive retail spending and a mushrooming of businesses catering to Chinese.

Historians believe that gambling has been existent in the Philippines since the dawn of time, although the earliest historical evidence of casino gambling dates back to the 1500s. The reason why the history of gambling in this part of the world isn’t even richer is that this activity was illegal for ages.

In fact, it was until the 21st century that certain gambling forms were either banned or unregulated. One of those activities was online gambling, which the Government of the Philippines made legal only in 2016.

“Gambling is not a sin. Even priests and nuns come to the casinos asking for jobs for their parishioners.” a government official said.

Six years after the Philippines gave online casinos the green light, there are hundreds of sites that accept users from this country.

Online Casino Bonus Types and How to Wager Your Bonus

It is common for online casino platforms to offer their players the opportunity to receive enjoyable, top-quality promotions when they have signed up for an account. Here, we’re going to tell you all about the types of online casino bonuses that are available to you as a Filipino player. We’ll also look at the significant terms and conditions associated with receiving bonus rewards, as well as offer some practical advice relating to how you need to wager your bonus funds.

Average Payout Speed

Philippines Poker

Legal Online Poker in the Philippines - For anyone looking to play poker, we review the leading legally licensed sites here.

Gambling Laws and Licensing Jurisdiction in the Philippines

Gambling in the Philippines occurs mainly under the monopoly of Philippine Entertainment and Gambling Corporation (PAGCOR), founded in 1976. This body is 100% state-owned. PAGCOR is responsible for licensing gambling operations in the country, with 50% of revenue going directly to the national budget. The only area not under the control of PAGCOR is the special economic zone of Cagayan and Freeport, which have private casinos that are only accessible to tourists.

Although gambling is popular and supported by the state, the government has taken a much stricter stance regarding online gambling in the Philippines.

There are only minor differences in the law on physical gambling between the Philippines and the Cagayan region, but their approaches to online gambling are different. In Cagayan, online gambling websites are open only to foreign players, while Filipinos are prohibited from using those domains in most parts of the country.

Do I need to pay taxes on my gambling winnings?

In theory, gambling income of PHP 10,000 and below is taxed at 10%, while anything above that amount has a 20% tax rate added to it. Yet many people do not declare their gambling income, especially when using offshore sites, and there have been no reports of the government chasing after people for such taxes.

1xBet Casino

This is one of the up-and-coming online casinos that will satisfy the cravings of Filipino casino players. The 1xBet casino boasts the best selection of online slots to play for real money.

Latest Headlines

World News // 3 hours ago

Pope Francis calls on Zelensky to be open to 'serious proposals for peace' in Ukraine

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Pope Francis on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be open to "serious proposals for peace" as he condemned Russia's war in Ukraine.

World News // 5 hours ago

Zelensky praises countries backing Ukraine application to join NATO

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday praised the support of neighboring countries after Ukraine submitted an application to join NATO.

World News // 6 hours ago

Brazil's far-right president Bolsonaro faces favored left-wing Lula

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's far-right leader, is facing off against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -- a left-wing politician who was previously imprisoned on corruption charges.

World News // 7 hours ago

COVID-19 world weekly cases drop 5% but some European nations surge

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- COVID-19 cases and fatalities continue to drop, including fatalities at the lowest since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, but cases are spiking in European nations, including Germany, Austria, Italy, France.

World News // 8 hours ago

Ukraine clears Lyman after Russia withdraws; Putin submits annexation for Duma

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Ukrainian troops on Sunday cleared the city of Lyman after Russian troops withdrew as President Vladimir Putin sent documents for his illegal annexation of four Ukrainian provinces to the the state Duma for ratification.

World News // 11 hours ago

Orlene quickly intensifies to Category 4 strength, set to strike Mexico

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Hurricane Orlene, the 16th named storm of the East Pacific hurricane season, formed early Thursday morning. AccuWeather forecasters say the storm is on a path to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to portions of Mexico.

World News // 12 hours ago

At least 125 dead in soccer stadium stampede in Indonesia

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- At least 1125 people died in Indonesia when spectators at a soccer game were trampled in a panic after police fired tear gas in an effort to stop them from rushing onto the field, making it one of the sport's deadliest incidents.

World News // 22 hours ago

Swiss court orders Lidl to destroy chocolate bunnies in legal battle with Lindt

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has ordered the discount grocery chain Lidl to destroy its chocolate bunnies in stock in the country while siding with Swiss chocolate maker Lindt and Sprüngli in a trademark battle.

World News // 23 hours ago

Mexico investigates art collector who burned Frida Kahlo drawing to sell NFTs

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Mexico's national cultural authority has opened an investigation into an art collector who burned an allegedly authentic Frida Kahlo drawing at his Miami home to sell NFTs of the work.

World News // 1 day ago

Streets, border closed in Burkina Faso after second military coup in 8 months

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Americans at the U.S. embassy in Burkina Faso were told to shelter in place overnight because of gunfire over a military coup on Friday, the state department said in a statement.

A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to make online gambling illegal in the Philippines.

"The social cost of gambling is too high — bankruptcy, broken families and criminal activities, among others,” Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said in Senate Bill 1281’s explanatory note.

The social cost for each pathological gambler is $9,393 yearly or about half a million pesos, he said, citing a 2011 study from Baylor University in Texas.

"This bill seeks to prohibit online gambling and the placing of wagers or bets through the internet or any form of online gambling activities to prevent further deterioration of morals and values, encourage people to work instead of relying on a game of chance, stop addiction and save lives,” he added.

Under the Anti-Online Gambling bill, a person who places, receives or transmits a bet or wager through the internet will be imprisoned for up to six months or fined as much as P500,000.

If the offender is a company, its president, director, manager and other officers will be fined P500,000 or jailed for five years.

• Continue reading:  https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2022/09/15/474970/senate-bill-to-outlaw-online-gambling/

MANILA (Reuters) — The Philippines’ lower congressional chamber on Monday passed a bill imposing taxes on online gambling firms, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks funds to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Online gambling companies, known as Philippine offshore gambling operators or POGOs, offer online betting to customers in mainland China, where gambling is banned.

In 2019 President Rodrigo Duterte rejected China’s call to ban such firms, which have fueled property demand and retail spending in the Philippines since 2016, saying the Southeast Asian nation needed the jobs and fees they generated.

Lawmakers in the lower house approved on third and final reading a measure Congressman Joey Salceda, one of the bill’s authors, said in a statement would generate 144 billion pesos ($3 billion) in taxes.

The upper chamber has yet to pass the counterpart bill. Both chambers will have to reconcile the bills before seeking Duterte’s signature.

Under the proposal, offshore gambling license holders would pay 5% tax on gross gaming receipts and revenues from other services. It would also impose a 25% tax on gross annual income of foreign employees of the firms, which employ tens of thousands of mainland Chinese workers.

Service providers would be subject to regular corporate income and applicable local taxes.

The Philippine gaming regulator collected $19 billion in fees from online gambling firms from 2016 to 2019, but lawmakers said POGOs and service providers failed to pay around $1.7 billion in taxes from 2018 and 2019.

A crackdown on erring firms, tighter implementation of tax rules and travel ban on thousands of mainland Chinese workers prompted some online gambling firms to close shop last year.

The gaming regulator said the potentially new law would not lead to further exodus of online gambling operators.

“Our operators are cognizant of their obligations to our government. All they want is a clear and fixed policy on taxation,” Jose Tria, the regulator’s offshore gaming licensing chief, told Reuters on Monday.

In 2020, POGOs vacated 277,000 square meters (68.45 acres) of office space, equivalent to more than 25 soccer pitches, data from a property consultancy firm showed.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Twenty-five South Koreans have been arrested in metropolitan Manila on suspicion of internet fraud or illegal online gambling, Philippine authorities said Friday.

Twelve of the suspects are wanted back home for allegedly duping their compatriots into investing money in bogus real estate projects in the Philippines, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

Their arrests Wednesday in a posh condominium followed the bureau’s apprehension on Monday of four other South Koreans for alleged fraud and voice phishing. They’re accused of duping hundreds of their compatriots who lost money after revealing private information to callers impersonating legitimate companies.

ADVERTISEMENT

The National Bureau of Investigation also presented to the media on Friday five South Korean nationals arrested for running a website for illegal online sports betting and casino gambling in an upscale subdivision.

The arrested men, wearing orange T-shirts, tried to cover their faces with their hands or shirt as they faced the cameras during the news conference. They are facing illegal gambling complaints, said NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin, adding the activity also facilitated money laundering.

The five were apprehended Tuesday, a day after the NBI also arrested four South Korean women for allegedly operating an illegal online casino inside a mall.

Understanding the legal landscape for gambling in the Philippines is an important part of betting entertainment. It is also the best way to ensure you don’t end up on the wrong side of the tracks when enjoying some responsible gambling action. The good news is that the Philippines offer a gambling friendly environment and recognize the benefits of a strong, regulated gambling industry and the revenue it can bring into the region. This section of our website was created to provide potential players with some insight into the legalities surrounding gambling in the Philippines. It is not intended to substitute for professional legal advice or services, but rather is intended to serve as a guide for those seeking data that allows them to make informed decisions regarding legal online and offline gambling options.