PH Senator pushes a Ban to POGOs and All Sort of Online Gambling...

[Slow death]

These are the attitudes of someone who does not want to study the market first before speaking or proposing laws. he should research how much money the government is getting from taxes and how many jobs are being created thanks to gambling and what contribution gambling is having to tourism, because I believe that if the government sat down and thought on a strategic plan in which gambling was well regulated, taxes were paid, and more jobs were created, so everyone won. It's funny that this senator gets in the car, he has a car, but how many people die every day in car accidents?

the number of people who are dying in car accidents is a very high number and no one blames the car companies, we all know that it is the people's and governments' fault when they hear things like: "the car company is going to close because the business It's not working and will lay off many employees " governments rush to save the company, give the company a loan and exempt the company from paying taxes for a certain time, because they have to see many people without jobs. so in my opinion this senator seems to me to be someone without a brain

[coin-investor]

This is very bad for the people who love online gambling in the Philippines.  A senator of the Philippines proposes a Bill to ban all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) and all kinds of Online Gambling.  Any individual involved  will be fined  up to Php500k(US$8,536) or imprisoned for up to six months. More story on the link below:

The proposed bill is due to the recent illegal POGO raids where human trafficking, murder, and money laundering were uncovered. Due to this, one of the Philippine senators believes that the best move is to ban POGOs and online gambling all in all and punish any person who is involved in online gambling activity if the bill is approved.

This is going to be a very long debate among senators who favors online gambling because of the very huge taxes that its being brought to the country's coffer and those who favor total ban.

I don't think the President of the Philippines will agree for a total ban because the country is under the restructuring of the economy under his regime and that's less 4 billion pesos cut in in the budget under his regime and he still has 4 years in the office and he has no other resources to fill on the loss revenue brought by losing revenue from gambling taxes.

The President will eventually veto this idea and instead will encourage senators to come up a bill on how to stop the abuses of these POGO companies and closely monitor their activities, The Philippines is a third world country and the gambling industry contribute a big part in its economy.

[Solosanz]

This means Filipinos aren't allowed to gamble anymore? what about users in this forum that are actively gambling and promoting gambling lol, could I say they're criminals (because they broke the laws)? lol.

They all should learn about privacy right now by using Tor, DEX, privacy tools, or privacy coins, as they want to hide against the government that could caught them.

[stadus]

He also pointed out that the nation’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), has “unfortunately failed” to ensure all online gaming operators within the country operate legally and adhere to the nation’s regulatory compliance.

That's from the article in the OP.

What I understand about that is if we gamble on online casinos that operates illegally within the country, we will be fine 500k or $8,620 at the current (php =usd) rate. and could go to jail. So I believe this doesn't include online casinos that are not operating in the Philippines, and since most of the casinos here are not in the Philippines, therefore Filipinos would have no problem with their online gambling.

[Coin_trader]

This is a very hypocrite move by the PH senators while online gambling especially POGO are a great source of income tax to government which they frequently corrupt through their confidential funds.

This bill is toxic and doesn’t solve the issue about gambling since people will just force to break the law just to gamble since gambling is already part of the Filipino leisure time.

But I doubt that they can implement this law to full extent since Philippines government is the most incompetent country when implementing their own law. They can’t monitor it thoroughly in long term. 

[aioc]

This means Filipinos aren't allowed to gamble anymore? what about users in this forum that are actively gambling and promoting gambling lol, could I say they're criminals (because they broke the laws)? lol.

They all should learn about privacy right now by using Tor, DEX, privacy tools, or privacy coins, as they want to hide against the government that could caught them.

This is not going to happen; a total ban will not work. The President who can approve the bill into becoming law will prefer to listen to his economic experts, and one of the government agencies already has this to say.

PAGCOR has defended the country’s legitimate Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) - PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco stated IGLs have generated over PHP 5bn in gross revenues for the nation in 2023.

So unless they can find another source of income that will replace that amount, then total ban is unlikely; I read in an online news that the government administration prefers stricter measures against fake POGOs than totally banning them.

[CryptSafe]

I do not think this move by the senator to propose a bill to ban gambling is good. What I expected them to do is to strengthen the organisation responsible for monitoring of casinos and step up the regulatory procedures/policies for gambling.  Putting a ban on gambling is like taking away food from the tables of her citizens who earn their pay as casino staff and also, the revenue the government generates from the casinos would be cut off and possibly dropping their national budget below the benchmark.

Looking at the situation of things, Philippines have no resources that could generate revenue for them except for taxation and other means of billing that sustains their economy. I think the entire senate house of Philippines would kick against it because they know themselves very well and what could become of them if they put ban on gambling.

[Poker Player]

are they sure they want to miss out on all the revenue POGO and online gambling will bring?

Yes, people who are short-sighted don't see how much money they are losing. They could make a regulatory model like the one in many countries in Europe, but without creating borders, which is the best, and charge a lot of taxes for it. But as they don't know what they regulate, they don't even think about it and the solution they think of is the simple one, to prohibit.

Instead to focus on regulations and ways to reduce illegal activities, they want to ban gambling. Those are two different things.

If gambling is banned in a country, it will result to more illegal gambling activities.

That's it.

According to what I know, offshore gambling may not bring revenue for the government. Local casinos are the government focus because that is where they see taxes from. Although some countries have strict regulations that makes any gambling site that wants to provide gambling services for their citizens to have physical presence in the country.

If they regulate it well, they can earn a lot of money in taxes with online gambling, and some people would still escape, but few. They have chosen the worst option.

[AbuBhakar]

I do not think this move by the senator to propose a bill to ban gambling is good. What I expected them to do is to strengthen the organisation responsible for monitoring of casinos and step up the regulatory procedures/policies for gambling.  Putting a ban on gambling is like taking away food from the tables of her citizens who earn their pay as casino staff and also, the revenue the government generates from the casinos would be cut off and possibly dropping their national budget below the benchmark.

It’s definitely bad as a Filipino citizen since POGO provides works to many Filipino worker while it gives huge revenue for the Philippines that’s why previous administration protects it since it gives financial help during pandemic when every business in our country is struggling.

Banning the POGO and online gambling is a bad move not only due to their benefits but also because people will just keep breaking this law through different method. Regulating them properly and provide some restrictions is better rather than a total ban with this helpful business in our country.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

I do not think this move by the senator to propose a bill to ban gambling is good. What I expected them to do is to strengthen the organisation responsible for monitoring of casinos and step up the regulatory procedures/policies for gambling.  Putting a ban on gambling is like taking away food from the tables of her citizens who earn their pay as casino staff and also, the revenue the government generates from the casinos would be cut off and possibly dropping their national budget below the benchmark.

Looking at the situation of things, Philippines have no resources that could generate revenue for them except for taxation and other means of billing that sustains their economy. I think the entire senate house of Philippines would kick against it because they know themselves very well and what could become of them if they put ban on gambling.

Very well analyzed and said bud, I completely agree with you.
It is really unfortunate that sometimes, some government officials usually don't think about the implications of some of their decisions or suggestions before letting it out to the general public, let alone signing it into law.
I bet the senator didn't even think about the money the country has been making from taxations of gambling houses, and not just that, but money they make some their regulators selling licenses to those online and offline casinos operating in their jurisdiction.
What about the citizens that are working and earning from this casinos? And also paying tax again to the government?
They usually dont think or consider some of this things before enacting such proposals to be signed into law, it's shameful to be honest.

[AliMan]

~snip~

What about you do you think banning offshore gambling operators and online gambling will solve the spread of illegal gambling activities in a country?

If that's what makes the country solve serious issues regarding crimes because of those rampant online gambling, I believed that's beneficial to the society.
Many lives of the people will be drowned to poverty due to online gambling, that's why legislators take this as a serious actions to make s step in solving this underlying toxicity of the country.

[Yatsan]

I know where this thing is heading. They won't ban it, for sure. If you're from this country, you should know how many times they tried to do so but why are there still operating gambling groups on this date? Unfortunately, things are run by money in the Philippines. Although without a certainty, this will just allow them to gain bigger contribution from gambling providers to continue. Things will be paid eventually; taxation on gambling activities and organizations are high in this country and they won't be banning things if they are making use of the tax these activities are generating. They could just heightened the restriction if they really want to.Unfortunate as well how other illegal activities are being tagged in gambling which makes things worse.

[o48o]

How are they banning the online gambling though? esp the offshore platforms?

Last I heard, when a regulatory body from PH banned binance, it was only at domain level. The result? many folks easily bypassed this by changing DNS lol. A cease and desist was suggested but of course, they wouldn't wanna put that much effort.

In any case, I wouldn't worry just yet as a lot of proposed bills get trashed all the time. Hoping for the best tho!

For those that host online gambling services and operate in the Philippines aka (pogo)s it's quite easy, as all they need is to bust those facilities.

And many countries like australia, if i remember correctly, have banned offshore online gambling. Casinos tend to comply with the restrictions. Not that all of the users would be banned, because people play with VPN and fake passports etc, but that comes with a possibility of getting your account frozen and money seized. So it's not safe to play with huge amounts anymore.

[gunhell16]

This is very bad for the people who love online gambling in the Philippines.  A senator of the Philippines proposes a Bill to ban all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) and all kinds of Online Gambling.  Any individual involved  will be fined  up to Php500k(US$8,536) or imprisoned for up to six months. More story on the link below:

Philippines senator pushes for banning POGOs, all forms of online gambling



The proposed bill is due to the recent illegal POGO raids where human trafficking, murder, and money laundering were uncovered. Due to this, one of the Philippine senators believes that the best move is to ban POGOs and online gambling all in all and punish any person who is involved in online gambling activity if the bill is approved.

In my personal view, I do not think there is a need to ban POGO's and online gambling.  This is not the fault of a regular individual but the institution behind the gambling regulatory board.  Instead of banning and penalizing people who are engaged in gambling activities, the bill should strengthen the regulation and purge the institution of any corrupt official that allows these illegal activities to proliferate.  He should implement a bill that will severely punish any government official that engage in illegal gambling activities. Banning POGOs and online gambling is like taking the easiest way out and depriving the Philippine government of the possible revenue that can be generated from these ventures and as if this kind of bill will prevent illegal gambling from existing in a country. I hope this kind of bill won't progress instead take an alternative implementation of cleansing the gambling regulatory board of any corrupt official and holding them accountable for their wicked crimes.

What about you do you think banning offshore gambling operators and online gambling will solve the spread of illegal gambling activities in a country?

I'm just wondering: during the time of the former admin, it's true that the POGO was already there, but by that time, online gambling was not rampant; there were no problems like the ones we are facing now that it has become too rampant and the promotion of gambling platforms is open.

This is just a comparison of the former administration with the current administration, because before there were only a few influencers who promoted online gambling and even online scams, but in the current administration we can see that the influencers are promoting the online casino, and even other celebrities who are former senators are even promoting online gambling despite being the head pastor of the church organization he built (Manny Paquiao), which means the open spreading of gambling promotions. It is possible that our government agencies also know that. This is only in my assessment that I observed.

[bangjoe]

This is very bad for the people who love online gambling in the Philippines.  A senator of the Philippines proposes a Bill to ban all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) and all kinds of Online Gambling.  Any individual involved  will be fined  up to Php500k(US$8,536) or imprisoned for up to six months. More story on the link below:

Philippines senator pushes for banning POGOs, all forms of online gambling



The proposed bill is due to the recent illegal POGO raids where human trafficking, murder, and money laundering were uncovered. Due to this, one of the Philippine senators believes that the best move is to ban POGOs and online gambling all in all and punish any person who is involved in online gambling activity if the bill is approved.

In my personal view, I do not think there is a need to ban POGO's and online gambling.  This is not the fault of a regular individual but the institution behind the gambling regulatory board.  Instead of banning and penalizing people who are engaged in gambling activities, the bill should strengthen the regulation and purge the institution of any corrupt official that allows these illegal activities to proliferate.  He should implement a bill that will severely punish any government official that engage in illegal gambling activities. Banning POGOs and online gambling is like taking the easiest way out and depriving the Philippine government of the possible revenue that can be generated from these ventures and as if this kind of bill will prevent illegal gambling from existing in a country. I hope this kind of bill won't progress instead take an alternative implementation of cleansing the gambling regulatory board of any corrupt official and holding them accountable for their wicked crimes.

What about you do you think banning offshore gambling operators and online gambling will solve the spread of illegal gambling activities in a country?

The potential of online gambling is very exciting and it is an advancement that gamblers will enjoy without having to travel to a physical casino which is still very rare and very far from where we live to gamble, while online gambling is very flexible and can be enjoyed wherever we are.

I don't think this bill will continue until it is passed to ban online gambling, it would be a pity with its potential, I agree more to revise the gambling supervisors and better eradicate illegal gambling to block it, cleaning up corrupt officials and involved with gambling is a step that needs to be taken to continue to operate online gambling properly and can contribute to the country, I agree more with your opinion than no longer allowing online gambling to operate.

[fortunecrypto]

This is very bad for the people who love online gambling in the Philippines.  A senator of the Philippines proposes a Bill to ban all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) and all kinds of Online Gambling.  Any individual involved  will be fined  up to Php500k(US$8,536) or imprisoned for up to six months.

POGO is a hot topic, and there are ongoing Senate hearings, so this has come out, but the real issue here is the corrupt officials who gave licenses to fake POGO and failed to monitor their activity when they should.
POGO is a source of income for the government; there's no need to create a bill; the government has the power to make POGO and online gambling illegal since it's not the bill that allows them to operate but the agency of the government.
President Marcos will not allow his yearly budget to get cut off when the country is reeling from debts and the over 25k Filipino workers on POGO to be displaced, so the bill is not likely to prosper.

What about you do you think banning offshore gambling operators and online gambling will solve the spread of illegal gambling activities in a country?

The head of the Pagcor, the gaming license of the Philippines has this to say

“As far as a supposed ‘phase-out’ is concerned, that’s the kind of phase-out I fully support: You phase out the bad and mediocre licensees,”
“You don’t phase the whole industry out. You enforce the law,” Salceda said.

Marcos allies in House split over POGO ban

[CryptSafe]

I do not think this move by the senator to propose a bill to ban gambling is good. What I expected them to do is to strengthen the organisation responsible for monitoring of casinos and step up the regulatory procedures/policies for gambling.  Putting a ban on gambling is like taking away food from the tables of her citizens who earn their pay as casino staff and also, the revenue the government generates from the casinos would be cut off and possibly dropping their national budget below the benchmark.

Looking at the situation of things, Philippines have no resources that could generate revenue for them except for taxation and other means of billing that sustains their economy. I think the entire senate house of Philippines would kick against it because they know themselves very well and what could become of them if they put ban on gambling.

Very well analyzed and said bud, I completely agree with you.
It is really unfortunate that sometimes, some government officials usually don't think about the implications of some of their decisions or suggestions before letting it out to the general public, let alone signing it into law.
I bet the senator didn't even think about the money the country has been making from taxations of gambling houses, and not just that, but money they make some their regulators selling licenses to those online and offline casinos operating in their jurisdiction.
What about the citizens that are working and earning from this casinos? And also paying tax again to the government?
They usually dont think or consider some of this things before enacting such proposals to be signed into law, it's shameful to be honest.

Possibly they might be doing this to shake up the gambling industry so they could pay more taxation or increase their tax for  the senators to keep quiet. Sometimes they act funny you know so they could get something out of nothing but however, if that is the game and this was their strategies, then they are making a big mistake because it would dawn on them if they keep threatening casinos and gambling organisations in their country and they decide to leave the country.

They could call the casino organisations and the government regulatory agencies and hold a meeting with them reaching a memorandum of understanding for all to abide by. Doing this alone would be more matured and reasonable than passing a bill to ban gambling in their country when they have nothing to offer.

[KTChampions]

This is a very hypocrite move by the PH senators while online gambling especially POGO are a great source of income tax to government which they frequently corrupt through their confidential funds.

This bill is toxic and doesn’t solve the issue about gambling since people will just force to break the law just to gamble since gambling is already part of the Filipino leisure time.

But I doubt that they can implement this law to full extent since Philippines government is the most incompetent country when implementing their own law. They can’t monitor it thoroughly in long term. 

Well, in fact, they will prohibit the provision of gambling services only to those companies that are registered in the Philippines. Taking into account the fact that online you don’t have to travel anywhere to “find yourself” in another jurisdiction, Filipinos will continue to play in other places. As always, this law is both meaningless and harmful. It will not achieve its goals (you don’t even have to discuss whether they are good or bad), but all its negative consequences will be noticeable.

[robelneo]

POGO has been operating since 2015, and during the pandemic it was a big help for the government and the Filipino workers, and this is the income from taxes and licenses

Department of Finance (DoF) data shows that combined taxes collected from POGOs from 2017 to October 2022 reached ₱53.8 billion: ₱30 billion by PAGCOR, while ₱23.8 billion by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) (since 2018).[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Offshore_Gaming_Operator

So you don't kill a cash cow just because there are bad actors; you just get stricter and implement the law and what's on their license; it's hard to stop people from gambling online, and they will need a monitoring team or agency to implement, and this will cost them money. I don't think the government of the Philippines is good at monitoring; it will just become a cash cow of corrupt officials.

[acroman08]

it won't. instead of banning them, they need to take full advantage of the revenue offshore gambling will bring to the country.

According to what I know, offshore gambling may not bring revenue for the government. Local casinos are the government focus because that is where they see taxes from. Although some countries have strict regulations that makes any gambling site that wants to provide gambling services for their citizens to have physical presence in the country.

it did bring money to the country and had an impact on the Philippines's economy during the height of the pandemic. that's why I said if they are sure they want to miss out on the revenue it will bring. properly regulating it would have been the best option instead of just banning it. it's annoying that my government is always trying to take the easy way out instead of thinking of a way to take advantage of it and make the country benefit from it.