Philippine police arrest 10 South Koreans for allegedly operating online gambling site

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine police anti-cybercrime agents have arrested 10 South Koreans for allegedly operating an illegal online gambling site in a posh apartment in metropolitan Manila, an official said Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, head of the national police’s anti-cybercrime group, said the eight men and two women were caught Tuesday inside two separate units in an upscale condominium in Taguig city.

The raid stemmed from a request from South Korean authorities for help in locating eight fugitives who allegedly fled Seoul and moved their illegal online gambling operation to the Philippines, Sosa said. The gambling site receives payments from Korean bettors via online banking and credit cards.

Sosa said two of the men arrested were among those wanted in Seoul, and phones, identification cards, computers and network devices were among the items seized.

They were arrested on the strength of a search warrant issued by a Manila judge for violating the Philippines’ illegal gambling laws and regulations on the use of access devices for commercial transactions.

Philippine authorities have also recently cracked down on operators of online child pornography sites and cybersex chat rooms that cater to paying viewers around the world.