UN Human Rights Office discusses forced labor in online gambling in Asia
Illegal online casinos operating across Asian countries continue to enslave workers who come seeking a better life, officials with the United Nations human rights office said this week.
Pia Oberoi, senior adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told CNBC that the crisis has only escalated further in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transnational crime syndicates force people to defraud other people," Oberoi said. "So there are two categories of victims here. These people were defrauded of large sums of money, and others were forced to participate in these scams in the heart of Southeast Asia. "
There have been reports for years about how POGOs lure workers from China and other countries to their call centers with promises of good pay and decent accommodation. However, upon arrival, the workers were forced to work long hours for meager wages and live in small apartments with several other workers.
Philippine Hot Bed
The Philippines is considered a hotbed for this type of scam, as many online casino platforms target online gamblers from countries where this type of gambling is illegal, especially China. Mandarin-speaking Chinese are drawn to the Philippines to work in call centers handling customer inquiries from mainland Chinese iGaming players.
China bans gambling in casinos across mainland China and Hong Kong. Macau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, houses casinos.
In recent years, China has called on the Philippine government to ban its offshore gaming operators from targeting and accepting players from the People's Republic of China. But then-President Rodrigo Duterte said in 2019 that the Philippines refused, saying the tax revenue generated by POGOs was vital to the country's national security.
The current President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is more willing to comply with China’s demands. Last month, the two countries announced an informal interim agreement to combat illegal online gambling.
The slave labor crisis in Asia’s online casinos is not limited to the Philippines. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are also home to numerous slave camps where illegal online gaming businesses operate, according to the United Nations.
In June, the U.S. State Department warned travelers to Asian countries to be aware of human trafficking and not to become a victim. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs detailed the circumstances of a 26-year-old Filipino woman who became pregnant while working in Cambodia.
Upon arrival, she was locked in a cell and forced to create fake dating profiles on apps that were part of a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. She eventually managed to escape, but not before losing her unborn child.
The United Nations says the Philippines bears the greatest responsibility
In an August briefing, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the fraud involving illegal gambling operations and slave labor began mainly in 2016, when the Philippines launched its offshore gambling operators (POGO) system. "To enable online gambling "Gamble only" for players outside the Philippines."
POGO hubs are set up in the country's so-called "free ports" and "special economic zones," where commercial enterprises are often exempt from certain laws that could stifle economic growth. As land-based casinos across Asia close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many players are turning to illegal online platforms, according to the United Nations. This will only increase POGO employment needs and increase international human trafficking.
“Human traffickers have been able to easily recruit people to carry out their criminal activities during the pandemic, taking advantage of the lack of decent work opportunities in many countries, business closures during the pandemic, lack of social protection, and limited employment opportunities especially for young university graduates. It said in the UN report: “During the pandemic, they pretended to provide them with real job opportunities. "
The United Nations encourages governments to provide support and assistance to victims of human trafficking rather than punishing these people for traveling to these countries to work for illegal gambling companies.
Read also:
- MGM welcomes Trade Minister’s visit to China
- Atlantic City casino profits drop 7%, all nine casinos remain profitable
- Iowa sports betting revenue expected to drop
- Hard Rock Kenosha casino project with Menominee Tribe gets preliminary approval
Source: www.casino.org
