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| This walkway on one side of City Hall, opposite the stop for bus 13, is known as a hotspot for gamblers in Central |
While Hong Kong’s streets are empty most days because of the
spread of the coronavirus, a few members of the 240,000-strong Filipino
community in Hong Kong continue to take
advantage of their Sunday day-off by gathering for illegal gambling.
Despite the Hong Kong Police Force stating it “has spared no
effort in combating illegal gambling activities and has been monitoring such
illegal activities for enforcement,” the activity continues.
Near a bus stop outside City Hall, at least three groups of
Filipino workers on any given Sunday openly place bets, sometimes as much as
$500 each, in card games on plastic or cardboard mats on the sidewalk.
This is replicated on other sidewalks, footbridges, under
bridges and in almost any nook in Central where Filipino migrant workers
gather. Unknown to them, the police are watching and have recently called the
Consulate’s attention to the illegal pastime.
On Mar 4, the Consulate issued a reminder on its Facebook
page about Hong Kong laws against
illegal gambling and the stiff penalties for offenders.
Police statistics on arrests involving non-ethnic Chinese illegal
gamblers in Central indicate, however, that the law enforcers have been lax.
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In the past five years, only 11 non-ethnic Chinese had been arrested for violating the Anti-Gambling Ordinance in Central. There were four arrests in 2015, none in 2016 and 2017, three in 2018 and four last year, police statistics show.
The police could not say if those arrested were Filipinos.
It’s not that police are not doing their jobs. Last year, officers
made two raids on a building in North Point where illegal gambling was carried
out and arrested 20 people.
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Six Filipinos -- five males and one female – were arrested
on May 23 last year for illegal gambling in a flat on Bank Tower Eastern Court
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| Police raided two units in this North Point building twice last year to flush out illegal gamblers |
It was also on Bank Tower
The Filipinos arrested in North Point, however, were mostly
residents or asylum seekers caught playing in an illegal casino and game arcade
on Bank Tower
“Taking into account local situations, Central Police
District correspondingly adopts strategies and takes enforcement actions to
prevent and combat illegal gambling,” the Police Public Relations Branch said
in a statement.
The PPRB said police also step up public education and
cooperate with other departments and stakeholders when necessary to combat
related crimes.
The gambling hotspots in Central include a shaded walkway
next to the stop for bus no 13 just outside City Hall, the sidewalks around the
General Post Office, the footbridge in front of Exchange Square, the Queen's
Road side of HSBC, the Admiralty footbridge leading to Tamar, and another linking
Queensway Plaza to Chater Garden.
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| This path beside the General Post Office is where illegal bettors on online horse racing often congregate |
One can tell where the stakes are big: the players who sit
on a mat are fenced off by friends and other kibitzers who serve as lookouts.
From a distance, one could discern at least one South Asian national joining
each circle of Filipinos; some say they’re the financiers of the illegal card
games.
The lookouts are the ones who alert the gamblers when an
officer is about to approach their group, or accost people who take photos of
the illegal activity.
One can tell where the stakes are big: the players who sit
on a mat are fenced off by friends and other kibitzers who serve as lookouts.
From a distance, one could discern at least one South Asian national joining
each circle of Filipinos; some say they’re the financiers of the illegal card
games.
Three years ago, the Central Police District, in cooperation
with the Consulate, launched a training program for the community to help
police their ranks and prevent crime.
Out of the 207 OFWs who initially participated in the
program, only 21 graduated last January and were appointed as police crime
ambassadors.
As the officers are occupied with more serious criminal
activities as well as anti-protest duties, the volunteers keep an eye on OFWs
who gather in Central and in parks, help protect them from falling prey to criminals
and to educate them on Hong Kong laws.
As they mix with the community, the fight crime ambassadors can
be effective eyes against illegal gamblers and their financiers, and help the police
stamp out the problem.
The only problem is, they are mostly available to act as
lookouts only on Sundays, and do not have the authority or the resources to
confront well-entrenched gamblers and their protectors. The police are
ultimately still the only ones who can put an end to this longstanding problem.
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