Nine Koreans arrested in the Philippines for illegal gambling

Charlotte Capewell

6 October 2025 at 7:04am UTC-4

Source: Shutterstock

Email, LinkedIn, and more

The Philippine National Police has revealed that nine Korean nationals were arrested in Cebu City for allegedly running an illegal igaming operation.

Five of the suspects had an Interpol Red Notice, a global alert used to locate people wanted by other countries or an international tribunal, according to Acting Philippine National Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.

Article continues below ad

The investigation began after an employee complaint was filed on 8 August. The employee had claimed that five of the suspects had illegally detained him without pay

Another complaint was filed on 2 October, this time alleging that the suspects had violated Presidential Decree 1602, which imposes harsher penalties on igaming, and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, by being involved in activities related to illegal igaming.

“Citizens reporting suspicious activities serve as the frontline in our fight against crime,” Nartatez said in a statement. “We will continue to act decisively to safeguard public safety, uphold justice, and ensure the Philippines remains a secure nation for all.”

Article continues below ad

Five of the suspects are being held by the Regional Special Project Unit, while four await sentencing at the Cebu City Custodial Facility.

Last month, 49 Koreans were repatriated from the Philippines in South Korea’s largest repatriation after being accused of cybercrimes, including the operation of icasinos.

Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.

View Charlotte Capewell's bio and articles.

Locations:

Verticals:

Casino

Sectors:

Operators

Topics:

Dig Deeper

The Backstory

How a patchwork of raids formed a global picture

Enforcement actions across Asia and the United States have converged on a common target: offshore and unlicensed online gambling networks that exploit regulatory gaps, payment loopholes and cross-border safe havens. In the Philippines, police in Cebu City arrested nine Korean nationals accused of operating an illegal igaming hub after an Aug. 8 employee complaint alleged detention without pay and a subsequent Oct. 2 filing cited the country’s anti-illegal gambling decree and its cybercrime law. Five suspects carried Interpol Red Notices. The operation, outlined by the Philippine National Police, illustrates how worker tips can trigger broader probes and how authorities are increasingly coupling cybercrime statutes with gambling laws to pursue operators. The case follows a separate Quezon City raid where seven suspects were detained on allegations of running an illegal online gambling scheme, a multiagency action led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology with local police support. Together, the Cebu arrests and the Quezon City seizure underscore Manila’s effort to align cyber enforcement with traditional vice policing while highlighting the government’s concern that illicit platforms siphon funds from state-backed programs and expose users to fraud.

These moves dovetail with rising cross-border pressure. Philippine authorities noted that last month South Korea undertook its largest-ever repatriation from the country, sending home 49 suspects accused of cybercrimes, including online casino operations. That context is central to the Cebu case, where five of the nine Koreans were already internationally wanted. The Philippines’ stance in both cases signals a willingness to coordinate with foreign governments as online gambling networks sprawl across jurisdictions and disguise activity through fast-changing merchant accounts and cryptocurrency rails.

Japan’s pivot from visibility to velocity

Japanese investigators have approached the same problem with a focus on financial plumbing and server control. Kanagawa police arrested nine people on June 5 tied to an offshore casino in Curacao after tracking unusually large, rapid flows through domestic bank accounts beginning in March 2023. Authorities alleged the group operated payment systems for at least six sites that together took in more than JPY90 billion in a little over a year. According to Kanagawa police, constant rotation of deposit accounts—roughly 10 at a time—complicated routine inquiries until a server seizure accelerated the investigation. The emphasis on seizing infrastructure, rather than only following money, marks an escalation born of sheer scale: Japanese officials have cited figures showing millions of residents have gambled online, sharpening political support for tighter rules.

Lawmakers have already advanced changes. The House of Representatives passed a bill to strengthen online gambling enforcement, a step reported by The Asahi Shimbun and consistent with the National Police Agency’s push to curb domestic betting routed through offshore sites. While the case involved wagers placed through an entity abroad, investigators said what matters is where the bet is placed—on Japanese soil. That jurisdictional test aims to undercut a common defense used by international operators. For broader policy context, see The Asahi Shimbun’s coverage on Japan’s move to tighten igaming rules and the National Police Agency’s public materials in English at the NPA portal (npa.go.jp/english).

State regulators in the U.S. close the consumer-protection gap

In the United States, the fight against illegal online gambling has leaned on consumer protection and tax integrity. The Michigan Gaming Control Board issued nine cease-and-desist letters to unlicensed sites offering casino-style games and sports and horse betting to state residents. The regulator warned that the platforms—some framing themselves as sweepstakes—lack oversight, offer unreliable withdrawals and breach multiple Michigan laws, from the Lawful Internet Gaming Act to the Gaming Control and Revenue Act. The Michigan action gave operators 14 days to shut down or face escalation with the attorney general’s office. The board cited an American Gaming Association estimate that illegal operators capture hundreds of billions of dollars in wagers nationwide, costing governments billions in tax revenue.

The New Jersey probe cuts closer to political and organized-crime lines. A two-year investigation culminated in the arrest of 39 people, including Prospect Park Councilman Anand Shah, for alleged racketeering, money laundering and illegal gambling tied to backroom poker rooms and offshore sportsbooks. Agents allegedly signed up with bookmakers licensed outside the United States and placed bets for local customers, taking a cut. Authorities seized about $3 million and linked the enterprise to the Lucchese crime family. The New Jersey case shows how gray-market sports wagering funnels into traditional crime networks and how political figures can become entangled as intermediaries, complicating state efforts to keep betting within regulated channels.

Religion, reputation and illicit bankrolls in Thailand

Not all illegal gambling money moves through obvious criminal fronts. In Thailand, police arrested a Buddhist abbot accused of siphoning more than $9 million in temple donations into an online baccarat network. The Wat Rai Khing case cut into a revered institution’s finances and jolted public trust. Thailand’s laws allow only state lottery and horse-race betting, pushing other wagers underground. Allegations that charitable funds bankrolled illicit games highlight a different form of harm than consumer fraud: reputational damage to civic institutions, which can depress legitimate donations and force governments to fill broader social-service gaps. Investigators made a second arrest and are probing potential co-conspirators, suggesting the operation may have run through a wider network of handlers and payment processors.

What ties the cases together—and why it matters now

Across these episodes, three themes stand out. First, regulators and police are increasingly pairing cyber tools with traditional vice enforcement. The Cebu arrests rested on cybercrime and gambling statutes; Kanagawa’s breakthrough followed a server seizure; Michigan’s warnings emphasized digital withdrawals and sweepstakes cloaks. Second, cross-border coordination is rising as countries move suspects and share intelligence. The Philippines’ handoff of dozens of Koreans and Japan’s focus on domestically placed wagers, regardless of offshore endpoints, reflect a more expansive view of jurisdiction. Third, the stakes are broader than lost wagers. Authorities cite weakened public revenues in the Philippines and Michigan, institutional damage in Thailand and organized-crime financing in New Jersey.

Causality runs in both directions. Successful raids encourage legislatures to tighten laws and budgets to upgrade digital forensics. Tighter rules, in turn, push operators to rotate bank accounts faster, lean on crypto and launder proceeds through legitimate-seeming entities—including restaurants, temples and small businesses—forcing investigators to chase infrastructure rather than storefronts. The result is a feedback loop: more sophisticated enforcement meets more adaptive networks.

For readers of the current article, the backstory shows why enforcement headlines now arrive in clusters. When one jurisdiction squeezes payment channels or servers, operations reroute to the next permissive node, prompting knock-on actions—like the Cebu arrests of nine Koreans following South Korea’s repatriation push, or Japan’s crackdown after tracking explosive account activity. Expect future cases to hinge on data seizures, rapid financial surveillance and international warrants, as authorities try to close the space between where a bet is placed, where it clears and where the profits finally land.