MANILA — Philippine authorities arrested more than 400 individuals during a raid of what they said was a Chinese-run offshore gaming operator in Manila, as the Southeast Asian nation intensifies its crackdown on scam centres.
Authorities nabbed 307 Filipinos, 137 Chinese, three Vietnamese, two Thais, two Malaysians, an Indonesian and a Taiwanese, the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission said in a statement late on Thursday.
The illegal online gaming operator carried out investment and sports betting scams, targeting Chinese and Indian nationals, according to the commission, citing initial interviews of arrested individuals.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippines outlawed offshore gaming firms that cater to mainly Chinese gamblers last year, but the government said thousands of foreign nationals involved in such operations remained in the country and were facing deportation.