East Timor Ramps Up Anti-Gambling Crackdown

In East Timor, the government has allowed a decision by the Council of Ministers to go through and has banned all online gambling.

The granting of new licenses has been suspended, and the issuing of new licenses has been prohibited.

This decision was made about two weeks after the warning issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the increase of criminal activity.

A report by the UNODC reported the presence of criminal networks, with signs showing the possible presence of criminals from other Asian countries.

The spreading of this information has led to 10 people being detained due to suspicions of involvement in sites for illegal gambling and computer fraud.

The report also mentions that someone in the East Timor government has ownership over a hotel where companies suspected of crimes are said to often gather.

Getting Back on Course

The company GDLotto was the first in East Timor to receive a license for online gaming.

The UN’s suspicions of ties between the criminals of Oecusse and “convicted cybercriminals” and “offshore gambling operators” were confirmed when 11 individuals were arrested for illegal gambling and computer fraud

East Timor had been trying to establish itself as a central location for online gaming.

The fraud centre industry of Southeast Asia has been trying to expand, which has led to comparisons with other countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, which are considered to be illegal online gambling centres.

The country has been warned that its admission into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could worsen East Timor’s situation.

Those Having it the Worst

In Southeast Asia, both the Philippines and Cambodia have become notorious for the exorbitant amount of illegal online gambling that has taken place within their territory.

Both had achieved a reputation as safe zones for Chinese to gamble online, with Senator Risa Hontiveros from the Philippines even calling it a playground for criminal activities.

Both the Philippines and Cambodia have had to make massive efforts in order to try and put themselves back together.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has begun to crack down on online gambling.

Cambodia passed a law banning online gambling all the way back in 2019.

The Philippines passed a ban against online gambling last year.