OFFBEAT MAIL

Online gaming The latest apprehensions made by Philippine immigration agents on at least 277 illegal Chinese nationals working at an online gaming company in the Ortigas, Pasig City was a pr oof that Chinese tourists are taking advantage of President Duterte's soft diplomacy with Beijing. And, regardless on whether the Philippines generated an estimated $200 million in revenues from online gaming, it is not a sure guarantee that the windfall will continue unabated by ignoring established immigration laws in the country. The arrest came after the Chinese Embassy in Makati City tipped the BID about the presence of Chinese  individuals who were wanted by the Chinese police, a newspaper report said. Since it is illegal in China to operate online gaming activities, some Chinese entrepreneurs have made it their bread and butter to dupe young and tech-savvy Chinese citizens to come to Manila in droves on the promise that they could work even without proper work permits. It...

Las Vegas gambling mogul Steve Wynn is no longer allowed to set up a casino business in the Philippines. This developed after members of a congressional committee in the House of Representatives felt Wynn had denigrated the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) by alleging in his lawsuit in the United States that some Pagcor officials received bribes from Mr, Kazuo Okada, a Japanese business tycoon, and Wynn's estranged partner in Pagcor Entertainment City project in Manila Bay. In a statement released to the media by his representative Masahiro Terada, Okada said  that Wynn was supposed to be his business partner in the proposed Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation  (Pagcor) Entertainment City in the Philippines. Unfortunately, Wynn quit the joint venture in 2010. A leading daily said that Wynn has chosen to support his Wynn Entertainment Casino in Macau. While Okada has set his eyes on investing in the Philippine gaming industry, through Tiger Resor...