PAGCOR sheds more light on recent raid on illegal online gaming raffle

Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR has announced further details around the arrest of 10 Chinese nationals and 26 Filipinos in Laguna and Parañaque City, linked to an illegal online raffle.

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1. The initial operation, conducted on Tuesday, May 1st, in Biñan, Laguna, led to the apprehension of 16 individuals involved in running an illegal online raffle through Facebook.

The raid, carried out by the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) in coordination with PAGCOR's security team, targeted a group operating under the FB Page "Lucky Dream 4."

https://agbrief.com/news/philippines/02/05/2024/pagcor-crackdown-on-illegal-facebook-gambling-16-arrested

The suspects were caught conducting their illicit activities in an office situated within a subdivision, where they were live-streaming their 50th raffle event.

2. Subsequently, on May 2nd, another operation saw the arrest of a group of suspects, including 10 Chinese nationals, in Multinational Village, Parañaque. Joint efforts by the CIDG-NCR and PAGCOR led to their apprehension for violations of various laws including the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Alien Registration Act, and Cybercrime Prevention Act.

Alejandro H. Tengco, Chairman and CEO of PAGCOR, highlighted that these arrests mark a significant step in the agency's intensified campaign against illegal online gambling and related illicit activities.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration with law enforcement agencies to safeguard the public, particularly the youth, from the dangers posed by illegal online gambling sites.
Raul Villanueva, PAGCOR's Senior Vice President for Security Cluster, shed light on the operations of Lucky Dream 4, which boasted a substantial following of 111,000 on Facebook. The group was found to be conducting live online raffles, offering second-hand modified motorcycles as prizes.
Villanueva revealed that the group had accrued over PHP8 million ($140K) in proceeds since the inception of their illegal online operations.
Moreover, Villanueva expressed concern over the demographic targeted by Lucky Dream 4, noting that the majority of its members are young individuals, with the oldest being only 27 years old. He underscored that the group's activities constitute illegal online gaming and stressed the necessity for them to obtain a license from PAGCOR should they wish to operate legitimately.
In the Parañaque raid, authorities apprehended seven male and three female Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in various scams, including love and cryptocurrency scams.
Notably, some of the apprehended individuals were believed to have escaped from a previous raid on a gaming compound in Bamban, Tarlac, conducted in March. The operation also resulted in the rescue of nine Filipino female workers and the arrest of one Filipino male for possession of an undocumented firearm.
The raid yielded a substantial haul of confiscated items, including mobile phones, desktop computers, laptops, credit cards, vehicles, motorcycles, and Chinese government documents. Additionally, authorities discovered two vaults within the house located in an exclusive subdivision on Teheran Street.
Overall, these operations underscore PAGCOR's commitment to combating illegal gambling and online scams, as well as their dedication to safeguarding the welfare of the public.

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