Why Should We Care About China's Criminal Gaming Syndicates?

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros has been leading an extraordinary investigation into Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) and their malign social, economic and political implications. In this special, in-person interview with co-host Ray Powell, she explains the history and origins of POGOs, their rapid spread under former President Rodrigo Duterte, and their ties to Chinese criminal syndicates. She explains the remarkable case of Alice Guo, a small city mayor who was implicated following a federal raid on a local POGO. Her extraordinary wealth and evidently false documentation of her Philippine birth raise questions of whether she was planted into the political system, by whom and for what purpose. The conversation then turns to regional tensions with China--especially in the West Philippine Sea--and the importance of protecting Philippine national interests in the face of foreign interference. It also discusses the role of the United States and the need for international support in addressing these issues.