China’s “strict law on direct and online gambling” has pushed organized crime gangs into Southeast Asia, where they can work with local elites to target this lucrative market from a safe distance and protect themselves from Chinese law enforcement.

It follows a more than 70-page report on transnational crimes in Southeast Asia, published by the U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP), based in Washington, DC, USA. The organization describes itself as a “national, nonpartisan, independent organization” established by the U.S. Congress.

The report on transnational crime in Southeast Asia said: “The fraud spreading in the region today is rooted in a loosely regulated local network of casinos and online gambling, which began in the 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s and were touted by some governments as making legitimate contributions to economic development.”

The U.S. Peace Research Institute said transnational syndicates operating outside Southeast Asia pose a global threat to consumers, including the American public.

“As of the end of 2023, conservative estimates of the annual value of funds these syndicates siphoned globally were close to US$64 billion.”

When it comes to betting factors, the institute added, “Chinese have become a major target for overseas gambling businesses as the annual gaming market has banned gambling altogether in [mainland] China, which is estimated to be $40 billion to $80 billion.”

The U.S.-based group observed, “Recognizing that criminal networks can no longer control them as they become more powerful, the Chinese state has become more concerned about the threat their activities pose to its citizens, who are the main victims of criminal fraud and forced labor through fraudulent trafficking.”

Some of Southeast Asia’s illegal activities are “hidden by the veneer of apparent legitimacy, such as casinos, resorts, hotels and special economic zones… It is closely related to the weakest areas of governance,” the U.S. Peace Research Institute said.

China has had some success with online gambling targeting its citizens and implementation of general fraud and fraudulent operations through cooperation with other countries, but some have replaced the problem rather than being completely eradicated, the institute suggested.

“The networks can avoid occasional crackdowns by law enforcement by transmitting their fraudulent activity within or between countries, depending on the situation,” the report said.

“In late 2023, Chinese law enforcement moved many of them to Cambodia and Laos, as well as southern Myanmar’s Karen state, which borders Thailand, due to measures to close fraud cases on the border between Myanmar and China,” he added

BY: 실시간경마사이트