In an effort to curb illegal overseas gambling China has created a list of countries that would be blacklisted as tourist destinations. The move comes after Chinese Government felt that certain destinations such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Philippines are opening up casinos in order to attract and target Chinese nationals. It is likely that Australia would also be included in the list.
However, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in China has stated that such destinations were endangering safety and security of the persons from the mainland of China.
According to a report approximately 145 US billion dollars are spent each year by Chinese gamblers on illegal betting sites. Most of these sites are streamed from the Philippines. While Cambodia has moved to shut its online gambling industry, Philippines has not planned to do so.
The analysts DS Kim, Jeremy An, and Derek Choi from JP Morgan Bank stated that “the blacklist announcement seems like a continuation of the effort to stop illegal overseas gambling. It is also a move to stop cross-border capital flow from the industry”.
The detail on which particular cities would be on the said list and how would the system operate is unclear as of now.