Having obtained a search warrant, NBI agents descended on the Fast Ball Internet Cafe, allegedly owned and operated by Koreans, upon the request of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).
According to INQ7, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents this week raided an online casino posing as an Internet cafe in a popular nightspot strip in Manila, Philippines seizing 23 computer units containing sophisticated gambling programmes.
Pagcor officials had claimed that the amusement centre was not licensed or authorised to operate as a gambling facility, according to an NBI report.
The operation comes just a week after agents of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) headed by Regional Director Elfren Meneses Jr, raided an alleged gambling den disguised as an amusement arcade in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
Apart from the 23 computer units, the NBI agents also seized other equipment and 350 prepaid cards allegedly used to access the online games.
Roel Jovenir of the NBI AFCCD said the increasing number of Koreans operating online casinos and gambling dens “may have something to do with their refusal to pay business taxes in the country.”