From October 21 to 24, this meeting takes place in Paris.
EMEA.- Last Sunday, October 20, representatives from the Ibero-American Corporation of State Lotteries and Betting (Cibelae) participated in the meeting of regional associations organized by the World Lottery Association (WLA), held as a prelude to the World Lottery Summit 2024 in Paris, which takes place from October 21 to 24.
In this meeting, authorities and representatives from various entities in the sector were present, including the WLA, European Lotteries (EL), Asia Pacific Lottery Association (APLA), North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) and Cibelae.
See also: 36th anniversary of Cibelae: the corporation reviews the achievements of the last year
During the meeting, the progress of the initiatives discussed in the April associations meeting this year in Nashville, as well as other topics of common interest to the organizations present, were reviewed. This event highlights Cibelae's commitment to fostering cooperation and the exchange of good practices in the lottery and betting industry.
Among the attendees were Rebecca Paul, president of the WLA; Andreas Kötter, president-elect of the WLA for the period 2024-2026; Luca Esposito, executive director of the WLA; Lynne Roiter, secretary general of the WLA; Romana Girandon, president of EL; Arjan van ‘t Veer, secretary general of EL; John Teo, executive director of APLA; David Gale, executive director of NASPL; Andrew White, vice president of Operations of NASPL; Javier Milián, president of CIBELAE; Rodrigo Cigliutti, executive director of CIBELAE; and Sandra Sandoval, executive assistant of CIBELAE.
Risa Hontiveros presented a diagram of people she says benefited from operations.
The Philippines.- Senator Risa Hontiveros has presented a diagram of people who allegedly benefited from offshore gambling operations, including former president Rodrigo Duterte, his former spokesperson Harry Roque and the economic adviser, Michael Yang, who, Hontiveros claims “a key actor in Chinese intelligence operations”. The claims were made in the hearing on alleged criminal activities and irregularities linked to gaming operators.
Hontiveros said they “exploited” and “betrayed” Filipinos. She also showed a photo of Yang with She Zhijiang, an offshore gaming operator who had links with Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.
“For five long years, counting our Pastillas investigation, the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality tried to leave no stone unturned to unravel the many evils brought to our shores by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs – POGOs welcomed with open arms by the administration of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Hontiveros said.
“They have now been revealed to be nothing but a Trojan horse. They have exposed a web of people who used POGOs for their own selfish interests, their own personal gain – all at the expense of the Filipino people.”
Guo was arrested in Tangerang City, Jakarta, in September after a search. Senate inquiries uncovered bank dealings that facilitated the establishment of an offshore gaming operator in Bamban.
“Guo Hua Ping, this committee has unmasked you as a Chinese national mocking our Filipino identity to amass wealth and commit crimes against true Filipinos,” Hontiveros said during the session. “This may be the end of our hearings on POGO, but this is only the beginning of the legislative reforms that we will strive to push, to ensure to every Filipino that there will never be another Alice Guo.”
Harry Roque was accused of alleged links to Lucky South 99, an offshore gaming operation raided in Porac, Pampanga. The committee is writing a report based on the investigations, which will include suggestions for strengthening policies and guidelines against abuses in civil registration, immigration, money laundering, candidacy for public office and national security.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has presented findings alleging connections between offshore gaming operators and drug syndicates and corporate fraud. During a House of Representatives hearing involving multiple committees, PDEA deputy director general, Renato Gumban said international syndicates exploited legal and corporate structures to facilitate drug trafficking, money laundering and property transactions involving foreign nationals.
He mentioned a joint operation carried out on September 24, 2023, at a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, that belonged to Willie Ong, identified as Cai Qimeng, who was linked to Empire 999 Realty. The land purchase was reportedly facilitated by Teddy Tumang, the dismissed mayor of Mexico. During the raid, authorities seized 560kg of shabu worth PHP3.6bn. An investigation unveiled a network of entities linked to Ong, including Golden Sun 999 Realty and Development and Yatai Industrial Park.
