National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents raided an online casino fronting as an Internet café in Manila, Philippines, reported news source INQ7 this week.
NBI agents executed a search warrant on Fast Ball Internet Café and seized 23 computer units, which allegedly powered the operation, after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) officials confirmed the operation was not licensed—or otherwise authorized—to offer gambling and gaming services.
The operation was undertaken a week after agents of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crime Division (AFCCD) raided an alleged gambling operation disguised as an amusement center in Tomas Morato, Quezon City, and seized 71 slot machines worth an estimated $425,000.
The NBI reported that both the Manila and Tomas Morato operations were under Korean ownership.
Special Investigator Joel Jovenir of the NBI AFCCD said the increasing number of Korean-owned gambling operations "may have something to do with their refusal to pay business taxes in the country."
Jovenir also said that Fast Ball discouraged non-Korean clientele from entering the shop by imposing an exaggerated hourly fee (100 pesos) for its services.
Customers normally pay [15 pesos]," he said. "So, they end up avoiding Fast Ball."
NBI agents also seized 350 prepaid cards allegedly used to access the online games.
"The café's customers pay for the Internet cards with U.S. dollars or Korean won," he said, "again discouraging local residents from patronizing the establishment."
Four Korean suspects with alleged ties to the Fast Ball operation were "invited for questioning," Jovenir said. "But we have yet to identify the actual owners and operators of Fast Ball," he added.