Employment coercion and Southeast Asia!

How Mansion’s restructuring exposed deeper human rights risks!

When a company restructures, regulators tend to focus on the corporate shell: licences, jurisdictions and paperwork. But what happens when the restructuring conceals something darker: coerced resignations, forced relocations and the quiet relocation of labour to jurisdictions where oversight is weak or absent?

This is the question raised by a troubling set of whistleblower allegations concerning Mansion88 (M88), a brand tied to Mountain Breeze Ltd and operated under Tanoa Gaming Limited’s licence from Vanuatu. The platform, now disconnected from its Gibraltar presence after Mansion surrendered its licence in late 2023, continues to operate actively in grey markets under the radar of European and Asian regulators.

And the true victims, it seems, are not only the players (many of whom have reported withheld winnings and suspended accounts) but the employees themselves.

A structure built to obscure?

The document titled “Gaming Consultancy Participation”, obtained earlier this year, outlines how key individuals within the Mansion Group network rotated across multiple fronts: Apollo Online in Gibraltar, Hermes Online in Israel and Violet Star in the BVI. These entities (branded as “consultancies”) were in effect personnel relocation units, funnelling the same operational figures through loosely defined “advisory” structures.

The employees listed span both ex-Mansion and ex-Convertonet staff. They include names like Andrew Tait, Karel Manasco, Lior Haner, Tal Moden and Ariel Reem, individuals long embedded in Mansion’s operational and compliance ecosystem. This cross-pollination of staff across shell entities has allowed Mansion to distance itself from regulatory scrutiny while maintaining internal continuity.

But the rotation wasn't just managerial. According to two whistleblower reports received since May 2025, operational staff particularly from the Philippines was forced to move far more than just their job titles.

Whistleblower Account: A silent diaspora of displaced workers

The first anonymous message received described a disturbing practice: employees being instructed to resign or accept transfers to new entities, often with the vague promise of “continuity,” only to be dismissed shortly after arriving in new jurisdictions. These relocations allegedly involved:

• Georgia (Europe): Now reported as the operational HQ, with day-to-day control managed remotely by COO Andrew Roger Harris-Jelly (“Sir Andy”).
• Cambodia: Described as a key hub for relocated employees, many of whom were allegedly trafficked via illegal recruiters or “snakeheads” to Sihanoukville, a location synonymous with digital scam compounds and labour abuse.
• Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia: Alleged satellite offices or informal operations where relocated workers were placed without visas or formal employment contracts.
• Philippines: Despite the end-of-2024 PAGCOR deadline to cease all POGO operations, M88 reportedly continues to operate under the name Softec Digital Solutions Inc. from the Pacquiao Mansion in Makati. According to a second source, employees are now forced to work remotely to avoid detection.

The accounts point toward systematic employment coercion: individuals were allegedly instructed to resign from Mansion-branded companies, only to find themselves unprotected, undocumented and underpaid in jurisdictions with little recourse for foreign workers.

A pattern familiar to gaming watchdogs

Many of the indicators flagged by the whistleblowers mirror red flags outlined in global human trafficking reports. Forced resignations. Smuggling via third countries. Isolated living arrangements. Intimidation through legal ambiguity. Employment via “consultancy” firms that aren’t subject to the same worker protections.

These tactics are not unique to Mansion88. Similar practices have been documented in other offshore gaming hubs where POGO-style models collapsed under pressure. Cambodia, in particular, has been identified in several UN and INTERPOL reports as a high-risk jurisdiction for online gambling-linked trafficking.

The troubling part is that some of these patterns are hiding in plain sight. Former Mansion executives continue to appear on consultancy rosters and company documents, just under new names, new jurisdictions and new “entities.”

A missed duty of care?

The three individuals named in the whistleblower files (Andrew Roger Harris-Jelly, Roy Carlos Judan and Peh Kang Lee) have not responded to inquiries. They are accused of directing these restructuring processes and labour relocations.

Even if their actions were legally insulated by offshore incorporation or employer-of-record contracts, the ethical and regulatory implications remain.

Suppliers like Playtech, Evolution and Pragmatic Play must now ask: Are their games being deployed in operational environments that violate labour standards, including those enshrined in the UK Modern Slavery Act and EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive?

These aren’t merely reputational questions, they are legal ones. Under Section 54 of the UK Act, companies are obliged to examine their supply chains for forced labour, even when their product is software. In this case, the human rights risk may lie not in how the games are made, but where and under what conditions they are run.

A call to action for regulators

Authorities in Cambodia, the Philippines, Georgia and Thailand should urgently investigate the claims made against Mansion88. The use of false employer identities, smuggling of workers and withholding of pay are all potential criminal offences under domestic and international law.

We are also calling on gaming regulators in Europe, including the UK Gambling Commission and the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, to determine whether any of the involved parties, either at group level or supplier level, remain licensed or linked to operations within their jurisdiction.

Final remarks

No accusation in this article should be interpreted as a conclusion of guilt. As always, we offer a formal right of reply to Mansion88, Tanoa Gaming Limited, Mountain Breeze Ltd and the named individuals.

However, the repeated emergence of such claims (especially those backed by internal documents and consistent whistleblower narratives) demands public scrutiny. The Mansion network may have evolved its branding and jurisdictional posture, but if the treatment of its workforce reflects the same structural abuse, then the rebrand is merely a mask.

As always, our anonymous submission portal remains open an we will continue to follow each submission to this story very closely.

FAQs

What is Mansion88 and who operates it?
Mansion88 (M88) is an online gambling brand previously tied to Mountain Breeze Ltd and now operated under Tanoa Gaming Limited’s Vanuatu licence.

Why did Mansion surrender its Gibraltar licence?
Mansion surrendered its Gibraltar licence in late 2023, a move coinciding with internal restructuring and operational redirection towards less regulated markets.

What are the whistleblower allegations against Mansion88?
Whistleblowers allege coerced resignations, forced labour relocations, and the use of shell companies to avoid labour protections and regulatory scrutiny.

Which countries are reportedly involved in the worker relocations?
Reports mention Georgia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines as relocation sites for operational staff.

What role do “consultancy” firms play in this scheme?
Firms like Apollo Online, Hermes Online, and Violet Star allegedly served as façade entities to shuffle employees across jurisdictions without regulatory oversight.

Are any individuals named in the allegations?
Yes, Andrew Roger Harris-Jelly, Roy Carlos Judan, and Peh Kang Lee are named as key figures allegedly overseeing these labour relocations.

How does this situation relate to human rights laws?
The described practices may breach international labour laws and modern anti-slavery legislation, including the UK Modern Slavery Act and EU directives.

Are game suppliers like Playtech and Evolution implicated?
While not directly accused, these suppliers are being urged to investigate if their products are used in environments violating labour laws.

Have any authorities taken action?
As of now, no formal charges are reported, but the article calls for urgent investigations by regulators in Europe and Asia.

Is Mansion88 still operating today?
Yes, Mansion88 continues to operate in grey markets, particularly in Asia, under various subsidiary names and through offshore licences.