• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Saturday 2 August 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

US Department of State report warns casinos in Asian border towns, special economic zones increasingly used for human trafficking

Ben Blaschke by Ben Blaschke
Tue 20 Jun 2023 at 05:49
US Department of State report warns casinos in Asian border towns, special economic zones increasingly used for human trafficking
33
SHARES
836
VIEWS
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The US Department of State (DOS) has described the trafficking of humans through casinos across Asia as a growing concern, with the practice particularly prevalent in Special Economic Zones and border towns such as Sihanoukville in Cambodia and the infamous “Golden Triangle”.

The issue was outlined in the department’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, which also names Burma, Cambodia and Macau among a small list of Asian jurisdictions ranked Tier 3 (from a total of four tiers), described as “Countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.”

Noting that some traffickers had taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging pandemic-related economic hardships, increased global youth unemployment and international travel restrictions to exploit thousands, the DOS said that forced criminality in cyber scam operations had emerged as a trend that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry over the last two years – often using casinos and other shell companies as cover.

“Casinos and shell companies operating in unused hotels and other rented and bespoke commercial spaces have become hotspots for this growing criminal activity – especially within remote special economic zones, border towns and other jurisdictionally complex geographic areas known for human rights impunity and minimal law enforcement penetration,” the report says.

“Fearing significant downturns in revenue stemming from pandemic-related restrictions, and witnessing widespread unemployment during the pandemic, traffickers in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Ghana, and Türkiye – including some with connections to the People’s Republic of China (PRC – saw an opportunity [and] used fake job listings to recruit adults and children from dozens of countries.”

According to the DOC, one of the biggest areas of concern is the China-based organized crime syndicates posing as labor brokers using social media to recruit East African and Asian workers with English proficiency or technical backgrounds for promising, lucrative jobs supposedly in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and elsewhere in the region. However, upon arrival, victims are transported to large compounds known as “scam factories” and located in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines, where their passports are confiscated and they experience physical and sexual violence.  They are then forced to run online scams including quota-based fraudulent sales; illegal online gambling and investment schemes; and romance scams.

Despite the bleak outlook, the DOS noted that some nations have begun to mobilize resources and strategies to locate citizens, remove them from their exploitative circumstances and even initiate accountability processes. These include Taiwan, which in 2022 located and repatriated hundreds of individuals from cyber scam operations in Cambodia and indicted dozens of Taiwanese individuals allegedly complicit in their initial recruitment.

It also pointed to Laos which in 2021 “began cooperating with international authorities to recover Lao victims from the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo and, despite access challenges and the pervasive impediment of local official corruption, initiated investigations into labor trafficking allegations.”

The DOC said the number of people trafficked across the world each year numbered in the millions.

RelatedPosts

PAGCOR to slash license fees charged to Philippine IR operators on online gaming GGR to new low of 25%

PAGCOR’s net income up 64% to US$188 million in first six months of 2025

Wed 30 Jul 2025 at 17:05
Donaco looks inward as Lee Bug Huy named new CEO

Donaco’s Star Vegas impacted by Thai border closures in June quarter as revenue, profit falls

Wed 30 Jul 2025 at 10:32
SkyCity launches mandatory carded play across its three New Zealand casinos

SkyCity launches mandatory carded play across its three New Zealand casinos

Wed 23 Jul 2025 at 09:44
DICJ keeps Macau casinos open during Typhoon Wipha for fear of guests going outside, border checkpoints shut down

DICJ keeps Macau casinos open during Typhoon Wipha for fear of guests going outside, border checkpoints shut down

Sun 20 Jul 2025 at 13:20
Load More
Tags: CambodiacasinosDepartment of StateGolden Trianglehuman traffickingLaos
Share13Share2
Ben Blaschke

Ben Blaschke

A former sports journalist in Sydney, Australia, Ben has been Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming since early 2016. He played a leading role in developing and launching IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and oversees as well as being a key contributor to all of IAG’s editorial pursuits.

Current Issue

Editorial – Better late than never

Editorial – Better late than never

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 07:13

Inside Asian Gaming has in recent weeks been hearing increasing chatter around a possible move by Vietnamese authorities to introduce...

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

Angel’s Yasushi Shigeta

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 07:08

Yasushi Shigeta, Chairman and owner of one of the world’s largest gaming industry suppliers, Angel Group, sits down with Inside...

The Magic Number

The Magic Number

by David Bonnet
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 06:41

In this in-depth deep dive into the evolution of the Asian gaming landscape, David Bonnet argues that many regional jurisdictions...

Rashid Suliman – A road well traveled

Rashid Suliman – A road well traveled

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 31 Jul 2025 at 02:45

Rashid Suliman, Vice President of Global Gaming Asia-Pacific for casino solutions provider TransAct Technologies, provides some insight into his unique...

Evolution Asia
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
HKUST
NWR

Related Posts

We’re Back!

Executive reshuffle sees RWS CEO Lee Shi Ruh named President and COO of parent company Genting Singapore

by Ben Blaschke
Sat 2 Aug 2025 at 15:26

Genting Singapore has announced the promotion of Ms Lee Shi Ruh, the recently appointed CEO of Resorts World Sentosa Pte Ltd, as its new President and Chief Operating Officer. Lee has until now served as Genting Singapore’s CFO. In a...

Star to open AU$3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development on 29 August

Star’s Hong Kong partners officially terminate Queen’s Wharf Brisbane acquisition deal

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 1 Aug 2025 at 13:02

Star Entertainment Group’s Hong Kong partners have officially closed the door on a deal that would have seen them acquire Star’s 50% stake in their AU$3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development. In a Friday release, Star confirmed that Chow Tai...

Macau GGR up 19% year-on-year to MOP$22.1 billion in July, sets new post-pandemic record

Macau GGR up 19% year-on-year to MOP$22.1 billion in July, sets new post-pandemic record

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 1 Aug 2025 at 12:49

Macau’s casinos recorded gross gaming revenue of MOP$22.13 billion (US$2.73 billion) in July, up 19.0% year-on-year and setting a new post-pandemic record, according to information from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ). The month-on-month rise comes largely unexpected, with...

Melco’s long-stalled Countdown Hotel at City of Dreams to be converted into 150-key all-suite hotel

Melco’s long-stalled Countdown Hotel at City of Dreams to be converted into 150-key all-suite hotel

by Ben Blaschke
Fri 1 Aug 2025 at 06:45

Melco Resorts & Entertainment has revealed new plans for its long-stalled Countdown Hotel transformation project at City of Dreams Macau, with the tower to be rebranded and its existing 330 standard hotel rooms converted into 150 high-end suites. The renovation...

Your browser does not support the video tag.


IAG

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English