Weak law enforcement and lax regulations in the Southeast Asian casino sector provide criminal organizations with a ready channel to launder illicit profits, including drug trafficking, according to a new study published by the U.N. Bureau of Drug Crimes.

A study called "Transnational Organized Crimes in Southeast Asia: Evolution, Growth, and Impact 2019" was published on Thursday. The study attempted to investigate organized crime patterns in Southeast Asia and issues posed in the region due to corruption and money laundering. This suggested that the rate at which these crimes are increasing in Southeast Asia exceeds the ability of local law enforcement to respond.

The U.N. study highlighted that as of January 2019, there were 230 licensed casinos in Southeast Asia, including 150 in Cambodia, 67 in the Philippines, and five in total in Laos and Myanmar. The study specifically noted that the number of licensed casinos in Cambodia, which hosted only 57 casinos in 2014, has increased rapidly recently. The study did not clarify whether it calculated slot machine warehouses and table game video streaming studios under the title "Casinos."

However, the authors noted, "many of these casinos emerged in 2014 after cracking down on money laundering activities in Macau, China, raising concerns that the "lethal" of casino-related criminal activity was caused by jurisdiction in Southeast Asia, particularly the Mekong region, which lacks regulatory oversight and enforcement capabilities."

The report, published through the U.N. office for the Southeast Asia Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, highlighted a "growing report" of Southeast Asian casinos with "verified links or allegations" to organised crime and money laundering.

The study mentioned casinos in the Mekong area. It said the gaming business operates "illegally or lawfully" in areas "characterized by improper governance and political instability." The locations, which are said to be open 24 hours a day, offer a variety of financial services ranging from "foreign exchange" to "check issuance," the study suggested.

"Third-party brokers known as junket operators who fund high-yielders or VIPs through these loosely regulated or fully unregulated casinos can mask the identities and activities of important gamblers," the UN study said.

The study also identified certain special economic zones in Laos and Myanmar as gambling hubs that serve as "key nodes" in the illegal trade of drugs, drug precursor materials, and wildlife products. 안전한 카지노사이트

The report is specifically named the King's Romanes Casino Complex, located in Laos' Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.