The Philippine Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros is urging for an immediate halt to the operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) within the country, citing concerns that human trafficking is intertwined with its business operations.

Philippines Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on the Bureau of Immigration to suspend the visa upon arrival scheme for Chinese nationals, citing reports from the national police suggesting the scheme boosts kidnappings related to Chinese casino players.

Authorities in the Philippines say that a ‘Chinese mafia’ that has lured Filipinos to become crypto scammers based out of Myanmar is far from being shut down, months after authorities caught wind of the criminal enterprise.

A two year Senate investigation has revealed a “clear-link” between the rise of the POGO industry and a surge of prostitution and human trafficking cases prompting the senator in charge of the investigation to look into suspending POGO operations.

This is the last day of November, so not much remains of the calamitous year of 2020. In our First Word, we briefly ponder the insight that, in the Covid-19 crisis, “destination is the function of the journey,” meaning in part that policies established now will impact the nature of the “recovery” in the coming year. We also drill down on the latest Genting Malaysia results, finding that support from local VIPs had a greater impact than expected. Out in Saipan, Imperial Pacific International received some rare good news: the governor has made it clear his preference that the firm complete construction of the casino resort and remain as a partner for the CNMI economy. Finally, we take a closer look at Mumbai-based PlayerzPot, which is aiming to join the big leagues of the online fantasy sports market in India.

A Philippine senator is calling for an end to the Visa Upon Arrival scheme for Chinese nationals, which could potentially be a blow for both land-based casinos and the country’s Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).