On Tuesday, February 19, Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration continued in its crackdown on illegal immigrants who have been working on online gambling platforms. According to a report published by a local news outlet, during a raid at Makati office, the bureau managed to arrest a total of 276 foreigners. The raid was organized following reports that there were foreigners in the country who have been operating without proper immigration documents and works permits.
At the time of this writing, it still remains unclear whether the individuals who were arrested did indeed lack the proper permits and documentation. It is therefore too early to speculate whether or not they have been working illegally in the Philippines since their identities will still need to be verified. The country’s visas are usually represented in the form or a stamp in the passport of a visitor, an identification card (ID) as well as ton of additional documentation – it is possible that due to the rather bulky nature of all that paperwork, the people who were arrested simply did not carry them along to their places of work. However, if any of them is proven to have been working in the country without proper documentation they are likely to be charged for deportation.
Sources close to the matter believe that some of the people who were arrested worked for an online operation that had ties to Mabnet, an online gaming site that caters to markets in China and the United Kingdom. As it turns out, the operation reportedly held a legitimate license form the Philippine authorities which further makes the whole issue quite confusing.
Even so, the raid comes as little of a surprise since the country’s authorities have been threating to take action against gaming operators who have employed undocumented foreigners.
More Restrictions
Prior to the Tuesday crackdown, the Philippines added yet another hurdle for online gambling operators targeting the country’s government to deal with. This came in the form of a new rule that now requires offshore gaming operation to register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) before proceeding to secure gambling licenses. In fact, the bureau has gone as far as reaching out to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and asking them not to license any offshore online gaming operation that has not been certified by the BIR.
The office of the president has lauded the move and said that it will be a great way of keeping track of Chinese nationals that are working in the Philippines – especially those that do not have the required permits or paperwork.