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Casino fronting as a Manila Internet cafe raided
INQ7 reports that National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents raided an online casino fronting as an Internet cafe this week in a popular nightspot strip in Manila, Phillipines and seized 23 computer units containing sophisticated gambling programs.
Waving a search warrant, the NBI agents conducted the raid on Fast Ball Internet Cafe, allegedly owned and operated by Koreans, upon the request of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
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Pagcor officials had certified that the amusement center was not licensed or authorised to operate as a gambling facility, according to an NBI report.
The operation took place a week after agents of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) headed by Regional Director Elfren Meneses Jr. raided an alleged gambling den disguised as an amusement center in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
NBI investigations showed that the Quezon City establishment, which yielded 71 expensive slot machines, was also owned by a Korean.
The confiscated slot machines were estimated to be worth over P21 million. In addition, they were said to be so advanced that the Pagcors own machines paled in comparison.
Special Investigator Roel Jovenir of the NBI AFCCD said the increasing number of Koreans operating online casinos and gambling dens may have something to do with their refusal to pay business taxes in the country. Jovenir also noted that the Internet cafe discouraged non-Koreans from entering the establishment by imposing a P100 per hour fee for its services.
Customers normally pay P15 per hour to surf the Internet so they end up avoiding Fast Ball, he added.
The NBI investigator likewise said that the nature of the online games at the Internet cafe could also be popular in Korea.
Apart from the 23 computer units, the NBI agents also seized other equipment and 350 prepaid cards allegedly used to access the online games.
The cafes customers pay for the Internet cards with US dollars or Korean won, again discouraging local residents from patronising the establishment, Jovenir said.
The NBI agents "invited for questioning" four Koreans believed to be involved in the establishments operations.
But we have yet to identify the actual owners and operators of Fast Ball, Jovenir said.
The suspects face charges for violating Republic Act 9887 or An Act Increasing the Penalties for Illegal Numbers Games.
Koreans are having a tough time in their own country, too where several Internet Cafe style raids have taken place this year. South Korean law enforcement agencies have confiscasted as many as 30 000 or more computers in the course of the crackdown, and have a unique solution for their future use - instead of destroying the equipment it is purged of all gambling content and then donated to needy families, according to local media reports.
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