Since September 25, Malaysian police have detained 247 individuals in relation to illicit internet gambling businesses with a focus on China that allegedly earned RM24.8 (£4.8m/€5.4m/$5.9m) a month and seized assets valued at RM 3.12 billion.
The action is the most recent in a string of crackdowns on internet gaming businesses that target Chinese consumers throughout Southeast Asia.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security said on September 23 that about 1,000 people had been arrested this year as a result of authorities in China and Cambodia working together to combat unlawful internet gaming.
The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) was directed by Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on September 19 to shut down the activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) that do not or would not pay income tax.
The present syndicate, according to Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim, is just another instance of an offshore operation designed to elude Chinese authorities.
“The Chinese syndicate’s actions in Kuala Lumpur are intended to keep Chinese authorities from discovering their activities,” he stated. “But even though we were working out of a luxurious condominium with a rigorous security system, we were able to track their position based on public information and police intelligence.”
According to Lazim, WeChat, the most widely used app in China, was used to promote the website.
