Manila - Philippine police said on
Thursday they had arrested 43 foreigners for kidnapping a
Singaporean woman at a casino resort in the capital,
highlighting security concerns that have scared high-stakes
gamblers away from Manila.
Police said the gang, including people from China and
Southeast Asia, was believed to be a loan-shark syndicate
targeting foreign high-rollers, with 11 similar cases reported
since 2015.
The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing casino hubs in
Asia, after Macau and Singapore, with the opening of several
resorts over the past two years.
But security remains a major concern that has deterred
big-spending gamblers from China, wary about kidnapping and
extortion.
The 48-year-old Singaporean woman was losing heavily when
she was approached and befriended by three men and a woman at
the Solaire casino on July 17 who lent her money, police said.
They later invited the woman to another casino but she was
instead taken to a hotel where she was mistreated and video of
her was taken which her captors showed to her family with a
demand for $180 000 for her release.
National police chief Ronald dela Rosa said the woman was
rescued the next day.
Kidnapping complaints had been filed against two Malaysians
and 41 Chinese nationals in connection with the case, de la Rosa
said.
Solaire, which is owned by Bloomberry Resorts Corp
, said it did not tolerate loan sharks and was
coordinating with and supporting authorities in the fight
against crime.
"Solaire continues to closely safeguard all its patrons to
ensure their safety from unscrupulous personalities and
activities," it said in a statement.
Last month, a gunman who police said had gambling debts
stormed Manila's Resorts World casino, and set a fire in which
37 people were killed.
The kidnapping of the woman from Singapore would likely
compound fears about safety in the Philippines, an analyst said.
"This incident will make it even harder for the operators to
entice the high-rollers to visit," said Shaun McCamley, a
partner at Global Market Advisors based in Bangkok.
The Philippines targets gross gaming revenue of 155 billion
to 160 billion pesos ($3.1 billion to $3.2 billion) this year,
up 4 percent to 7 percent from last year, data showed.