MORE than 60 percent of online gambling sites accessed in the Philippines are illegal, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
During the budget briefing before the House Committee on Appropriations on August 20, PAGCOR chairperson and CEO Alejandro Tengco said these sites operate outside the country.
“Today, nakalulungkot man sabihin, wala pa pong 40 percent ang legal online gaming dito sa Pilipinas. At mahigit 60 percent ang illegal pa sa pangkasalukuyan. Ang mga illegal na site na ito ay hindi nag-o-operate dito sa ating bansa. Ito ay mga dayuhang tina-target ang mga customer na Pilipino,” Tengco said.
He added: “‘Yun ay nagmumula sa iba’t ibang bansa tulad ng Russia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Cambodia, mga kapitbahay natin, maski Singapore ay nate-trace ng DICT at CICC na doon nagmumula ang mga iligal.”
PAGCOR is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation to address illegal gambling sites.
“Doon sa kumulang na pitumpung may lisensya sa PAGCOR na online gaming, regulated po sila at sumusunod sa mga patakaran, tulad ng pagsusugal lamang ng 21 taong gulang o higit pa. Pero doon po sa illegal operators ay nakapagsusugal sinuman… They give them so much room para maadik sila,” Tengco noted.
But he said “advances in technology” make it difficult.
“Unfortunately, ay talagang hirap na hirap po na ating mapigil itong online gaming na illegal,” Tengco admitted.
50 percent decline in transactions
Online gambling transactions declined by half after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ordered e-wallet service providers to unlink from online gambling platforms, according to PAGCOR’s estimates.
Akbayan Party-list’s Rep. Chel Diokno, however, said they continue to receive reports that in some online gambling platforms, the option to pay using e-wallet remains.
“We continue to receive reports that despite that order, kung pupunta tayo sa online gambling platforms, mayroon pa ring options to pay using e-wallet. Are you aware of this?” he asked.
“Yes, we have been monitoring it… Talagang napakahirap lang tugisin at pahintuin ng mga illegal. Pero doon sa mga legal na licensees na… sumunod sila sa utos ng Bangko Sentral na mag-delink sa pangkasalukuyan,” Tengco replied.
Programs against gambling addiction
Lawmakers questioned PAGCOR on the growing online gambling addiction in the country.
Tengco assured congressmen that PAGCOR has programs to prevent addiction, including a responsible gaming group, which assists those who experience such problem.
But in the last three years, only seven reports of gambling addiction were received by PAGCOR. The individuals were referred to accredited rehabilitation centers.
PAGCOR also implements a self-exclusion program, and approved around 2,000 requests under it, according to Tengco.
PAGCOR, meanwhile, is eyeing the use of artificial intelligence-powered tools to track the playing habits of consumers, and suspend accounts that encounter huge losses. (ABS-CBN News)
