MANILA: The head of the Philippines’ gaming regulator said implementing a ban on online casinos would be a challenge as he pitched to exempt about a dozen outsourcing companies working for foreign gaming firms from the prohibition.
Most online casinos previously stripped of licences "are still around” and operating illegally, said Alejandro Tengco (pic), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, or Pagcor.
"The big issue here really is as soon as we are able to successfully wind down, the next challenge would be enforcement,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday (July 30).
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in his state of the nation address last week, banned online casinos catering to Chinese gamblers, responding to calls to shut down an industry that he said stoked crimes including money laundering. He gave Philippine offshore gaming operators, or Pogos, until the end of the year to wind down their operations.
There are some 12 or 14 business process outsourcing companies that have special licences to provide customer service to gaming companies based in Australia, US, Canada and Europe, Tengco said. Since these outsourcing firms are engaged in backroom operations and do not take bets, they should be excluded from the ban, he said, adding that another six of such companies have pending applications.
All 43 internet gaming licences covered by the ban directly employ over 31,000 Filipino workers while outsourcing firms holding special licences employ some 8,000 to 9,000 nationals, Tengco told a Senate hearing on Monday. He is meeting this week with key government officials to discuss other opportunities for displaced workers.
Similarly, there are about 31,000 foreign workers who would be affected once all 43 licensed internet gaming operators are closed, he said. - Bloomberg
