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Summary:
- The UN has raised concerns over potential links to organized crime and casinos
- These concerns are mostly on South East Asian countries like Vietnam and the Philippines
- China recently teamed up with ASEAN to fight casino related crimes
The South East Asian gaming market has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, especially after the casino industry in Macau took a hit due to the crackdown imposed by Beijing.
Macau’s troubles turned out to be an opportunity for countries like the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia who were keen to attract gamblers from Mainland China.
United Nations Raises Concerns Over Southeast Asia Casinos
While the casino industry in Southeast Asian markets have grown rapidly in the last few years, so have the concerns regarding the links to organized crime and casinos. The United Nations has now officially expressed its concern regarding casinos and crime in South East Asian markets.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report earlier this month titled ‘Casinos, cyber fraud, and trafficking in persons for forced criminality in Southeast Asia’ and raised a number of serious concerns.
The report highlights the numerous special economic zones (SEZs) in South East Asian countries which are being used to launder money and traffic different illegal goods. The UN raised concerns over Mekong countries which will include the likes of Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.
The Philippines was also highlighted with a specific mention of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) who are alleged to be engaging in illicit activities including human trafficking. The Philippines is currently holding discussions about permanently shutting down the POGO industry.
Criminals Using Loopholes To Take Advantage Of Casino Industry
In a statement, Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative to Southeast Asia and the Pacific said
Organised crime groups are converging in the region where they see vulnerabilities. Operations against syndicates in some countries like the Philippines have caused a partial displacement, and we have seen criminals moving infrastructure into places where they see opportunity – basically where they expect they will be able to take advantage and not be held to account, to remote and border areas of the Mekong.
China recently joined forces with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to put in place strategies that will stop gambling related criminal activities.
