Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in collaboration with China and supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), announced a plan to address regional criminal activities associated with gambling. The initiative, titled the “Regional Cooperation Roadmap to Address Transnational Organized Crime and Trafficking in Persons Associated with Casinos and Scam Operations in Southeast Asia,” was unveiled in Bangkok, Thailand.
1. Strengthening Legislative Frameworks
The roadmap outlines 30 specific actions aimed at combating transnational organized crime and human trafficking linked to casinos and scam operations. This includes revising and strengthening legislative and regulatory frameworks governing licensing, operations, and entertainment industries susceptible to facilitating transnational organized crime, including cybercrime.
2. Enhanced Due Diligence on Casino Investors
The plan proposes establishing mechanisms to review investor profiles in casinos, both physical and online, along with junket operations and special economic zones, to identify associations with organized crime and ascertain beneficial ownership.
3. Financial and Technological Literacy Improvement
Signatory parties are encouraged to invest in improving financial and technological literacy, particularly among vulnerable communities targeted by criminal groups associated with casinos and scam operations.
The roadmap acknowledges that transnational organized crime and trafficking associated with casinos and scams cannot be efficiently addressed by individual states and necessitates a comprehensive, coordinated, and regional approach.
Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative to Southeast Asia and the Pacific, emphasized the urgent need for regional cooperation to tackle the surge in trafficking connected to casinos and scam operations run by organized crime in Southeast Asia.
This collaborative initiative reflects the ongoing efforts between China and Southeast Asian nations to combat cross-border illegal activities linked to gambling, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing complex criminal networks operating across borders.