US State Department Says Casinos in Asia Being Utilized for Human Trafficking

Posted on: June 20, 2023, 09:00h. 

Last updated on: June 20, 2023, 11:52h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The United States Department of State is warning travelers that casinos throughout Asia are becoming increasingly utilized to facilitate tracking in persons (TIP). The US’ leading foreign policy agency that seeks to protect the interests and security of the American people also says online casino platforms operating out of Asia have been found to be increasingly involved in cyber scams and the online recruitment of vulnerable people for forced labor.

US State Department Asia casinos human trafficking
A staged reenactment of US Homeland Security officials assisting a human exploitation victim. The US State Department says casinos across Asia have become prime vehicles for the movement and solicitation of trafficked persons. (Image: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

In the State Department’s “2023 Trafficking in Persons Report,” federal officials say the Asian gaming industry is progressively playing a more prominent role in the illicit movement of captured individuals.

TIP and human trafficking are umbrella terms whereby traffickers exploit and profit by compelling individuals to perform labor or engage in commercial sex. Human trafficking is sometimes called “modern slavery.”

The State Department groups human trafficking into two categories. The first is sex trafficking, which involves an individual being induced by “force, fraud, or coercion” to perform sex acts. The other category involves the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of a person for labor through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.

Casino Vehicles

State Secretary Antony Blinken says his department has determined that casinos in Asia, specifically ones in border towns, have become frequent venues for traffickers to commit their illegal operations.

Casinos and shell companies operating in unused hotels and other rented and bespoke commercial spaces have become hotspots for this growing criminal activity — especially within remote special economic zones, border towns, and other jurisdictionally complex geographic areas known for human rights impunity and minimal law enforcement penetration,” the State Department report read.

The department says the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in elevated human trafficking activity. State officials say traffickers have used fake job listings to recruit vulnerable people from dozens of countries, including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Many of the recruits who aren’t sold off to sex traffickers are forced to work in online scams, some of which involve online gambling. Those captured who seek to escape have been known to be “brutally murdered.”

Casino Scam Example

The State Department’s “2023 Trafficking in Persons Report” detailed one example involving a 26-year-old woman from the Philippines. She responded to a job listing posted on Facebook for a call center. She qualified for the position since she speaks English.

She traveled to Cambodia to begin her new life and job while pregnant. Upon her arrival, she was locked in a cell without food or water for days. Her captives reportedly abused her for months, forcing her to create fake dating profiles on dating apps to lure people into fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.

The woman, the State Department said, eventually managed to escape, but not before the loss of her unborn child.

“We will continue to improve and adapt our efforts to combat this crime and build stronger partnerships with governments, businesses, survivor leaders, and non-governmental organizations,” Blinken said. “We will ensure survivors of trafficking have access to the services they need to rebuild their lives.”