Philippines bust more South Korean online gambling ops

Philippine authorities are chasing down fugitive members of a South Korean-led illegal online gambling ring, while preparing charges against nine other members who weren’t nimble enough to evade arrest.

On Friday, members of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) raided a rented house in Cebu City where a suspected illegal online gambling operation was underway. Nine South Korean nationals were detained, including two who are currently fugitives from illegal gambling charges filed in their native land.

RID Division 7 Chief Senior Superintendent Jonathan Cabal told the SunStar that the gambling operation had been under surveillance for two months before police pounced. Cabal called the operation “a big syndicate” than accepted wagers from overseas bettors in South Korea, Australia and the US, including individual wagers ranging as high as US $60k.

Police seized the usual assortment of computers, phones and log books from the house, which the gang had reportedly occupied for over a year. Given this timeline, police are trying to determine whether the gang has any connection with a different bunch of South Koreans who were nabbed for similar illegal gambling operations in July 2016.