Gambling Takes a Hit in Manila as Officials Declare War

Legal and organized gambling can be a fun way to make a little money, but illegal gambling often gets attacked as a major public menace. This includes in places like the Philippines, where the controversial president and chief of police have declared war on illegal gambling. Could this lead to another potential round of human rights violations?

What Happened?

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared war on two problems that he believes are plaguing his country: drug use and gambling. While trying to clean up illegal activities is a noble goal, Duterte has come down too heavily on those he considers “illegal.”

His police and soldiers have allegedly committed human rights violations in their war against drugs, including executing people without trial. This was no surprise to anyone who knew Duterte, who had declared that those connected with illegal drugs were “crazy” and deserved to be killed.

His groups were allegedly supposed to focus on those who sold or made illegal drugs, but reports indicate that users, who otherwise committed no crimes, were also harshly and even cruelly dealt with on a regular basis.

A Weak Promise

Duterte has stated that those involved with illegal gambling in his country are nowhere near as “crazy” as those connected with drugs. That said, his chief of police has stated that:

They have promised that the extra-judicial behaviors that allegedly followed their war on drugs were a) not happening in the first place and b) would not happen in this instance. The campaign is pledged to go after anyone promoting illegal gambling, such as those who run online websites and town officials who may be profiting from the activity.

The actual language around this promise was questionable. They claimed that “rogue” cops would be excluded from the campaign and called those who had committed crimes against drug lords as “scalawags.” Quite a menial word for some of the activities they committed.

These “scalawags” actually strangled a legitimate businessman to death after demanding a ransom of $100,000 to get himself out of their custody. His connection to illegal drugs was tenuous, at best. It is situations like this that make wars like this so scary because there is a lot of room for terrible crimes to occur.

The Danger Is Serious

For those who aren’t in the Philippines, it may be easy to laugh off these kinds of bans. However, they set a dangerous example for other countries. For example, what happens if the United States or Britain finds the success of such a ban in this country inspiring and tries to implement a similar one there?

While not as likely to be dangerous, there could be a real “war” declared, like the war on drugs. Anyone who enjoys betting or even occasional gambling should pay attention to developments like this, as they could lead to serious situations.