The People’s Republic has placed the Philippines on a no-travel roster for its citizens due to worries about unlawful operations within the Philippine online gaming sector.
The archipelago nation has turned into a center for gamblers from China in the past few years, fueled by the nation’s lenient gaming regulations and the expansion of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). This flood of Chinese capital and players has triggered alarms in Beijing.
As per Philippine Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the Chinese envoy to the Philippines has verified that the nation is now on a prohibited list for Chinese travelers. The envoy voiced apprehension that Chinese nationals journeying to the Philippines might get entangled with POGOs, either as personnel or patrons. There are also anxieties that Chinese visitors could be preyed upon by criminal syndicates engaged in abduction, blackmail, and other illicit actions frequently connected to POGOs.
Reacting to these apprehensions, the Philippine administration has declared a clampdown on unlawful POGOs. They intend to expel approximately 40,000 Chinese laborers and shutter 175 POGOs.
Nevertheless, this action has attracted disapproval from certain groups. Mike Danganan, a spokesperson for service firms and POGO associations, contends that the crackdown will result in widespread joblessness, with an estimated 23,000 individuals facing unemployment if the policy persists.
This situation arises at a moment when the Philippine travel sector is already grappling with the effects of China’s “zero-COVID” strategy, which has drastically diminished the quantity of Chinese travelers visiting the nation.
The tourism sector in the Philippines has undergone a significant transformation. While close to 7 million travelers from China arrived in 2019, this figure sharply declined to slightly more than 22,000 in 2022. This change aligns with the Philippines’ emergence as a hub for gaming, drawing numerous individuals who may have otherwise journeyed to Macau, especially considering Macau’s challenges with pandemic-related limitations and closures.
To delve further into the realm of gaming and its recent advancements, be sure to check out the November/December edition of Inside Asian Gaming.