PAGCOR tightens rules, but Offshore Casinos remain accessible

[Sanitough]

Posting this not just to discuss the gambling laws in our country, but also to see how other countries regulate online gambling and to hear the real experiences of users here.

So as you can read in this report, the government has already stopped issuing new online gambling licenses for several reasons, which could be a good move but in reality, people like me can still access offshore casinos without any difficulty since many offshore casinos, though regulated, do not require KYC for small transactions, so that's like a convenient playing ground for us.

So some guys think you don't have protection, who cares, even in the Philippines we are not always protected, they just claim it on paper but there are reports of gamblers winning millions only to be told by the operators that it was a system glitch.

So a country can be strict with its rules but still cannot stop people from accessing offshore casinos, are they just fooling themselves? I mean the problem is also outside their jurisdiction and they are not fully addressing it.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Posting this not just to discuss the gambling laws in our country, but also to see how other countries regulate online gambling and to hear the real experiences of users here.

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So a country can be strict with its rules but still cannot stop people from accessing offshore casinos, are they just fooling themselves? I mean the problem is also outside their jurisdiction and they are not fully addressing it.

In Europe it is the same as in your country. What you don’t realise is that what governments are really after is revenue. Protecting consumers is just an excuse. Through national licences, they generate revenue, and they know that a certain percentage of gamblers slip through the net because they access offshore casinos, but the fact is that they used to collect nothing, and now they collect a fair amount. That’s what matters to them.

[coinrifft]

So a country can be strict with its rules but still cannot stop people from accessing offshore casinos, are they just fooling themselves? I mean the problem is also outside their jurisdiction and they are not fully addressing it.

The problem is that there could be some powerful individuals that are allowing offshore casinos in our country. Although we all know that the current President has signed this into law:

https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/pbbm-signs-into-law-anti-pogo-act-of-2025-institutionalizing-ban-on-pogos/

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has recently signed Republic Act (RA) 12312, or the “Anti-POGO Act of 2025,” which institutionalizes the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

But as you can see, from Gcash to Paymaya to Coins.ph to casinos like CasinoPlus, ArenaPlus and other legal casinos with off shore gaming are still prevalent in our country. And even if there is a case recently that headlines about someone not getting paid with is millions of winnings, still those casinos are still allowed in our country.

[Oshosondy]

So a country can be strict with its rules but still cannot stop people from accessing offshore casinos, are they just fooling themselves? I mean the problem is also outside their jurisdiction and they are not fully addressing it.

What the government care most about is not how gambers are losing money, they just care about the money they are making from gambling. But if you are gambling on a gambling site that is having gambling license in your country, to sue the gambling site will be easier than to sue a gambling site that is not having license in your country.

[Chibit01]

There is not country that can fully ban their citizens from accessing offshore casinos, and we can't also say the government are just fooling themselves. They are taking action based on what they think is best and setting all limits, but there are no tactics that can be 100% productive. The main concern is players protection but since you don't care about it, you just have to play and be cautious that you don't win an amount that will require the casino to ask you for verification, unless some that won't actually care.

[BALIK]

Being licensed locally does not mean that any platform is free from risk. In our country there have been previous instance of fraud involving platform like BingoPlus and ArenaPlus as coinrifft mentioned.

If large winning payout is withheld on grounds of system error, it inevitably cast doubt on credibility of operator’s commitment to consumer protection. After all, guaranteeing customer’s right on paper is not the same as upholding them in reality.

Incident where funds deposited by player go missing and are misappropriated frequently come to light, yet local regulatory bodies fail to prevent them. They seem capable only of imposing IP ban on offshore platform.

[Shinpako09]

So a country can be strict with its rules but still cannot stop people from accessing offshore casinos, are they just fooling themselves? I mean the problem is also outside their jurisdiction and they are not fully addressing it.

The funny thing is, they are tightening rules not because they are concerned about their citizens, as usual, but because they just want to monopolize the market. If you visit an offshore site and haven't changed your DNS yet, once it's blocked, you'll see suggestions on where you should play. It's not about safety, it's about monopoly.

If we are just talking about safety, overseas casinos are safer than our local casinos. At least overseas casinos have a lower chance of cheating, especially established casinos. Just like what you've said, it has happened a few times that jackpots weren't given, and they just used a system glitch as an excuse. Once they say it, you can't do anything about it, or you just put your life at risk if you insist.

[Swordsoffreedom]

My point is, if any player cannot withdraw their winning even in strictly regulated country like Philippine, then where else can those player go if not to an offshore crypto casino? idk

offshore casino may lack formal legal protection in their jurisdiction.
However blockchain based smart contract and provably fair algorithm eliminate the possibility of faking glitch. Furthermore many reputable casino which are highly authentic are already advertising on our forum like Stake, Roobet, Duelbits etc..

Until their government realize that providing transparent and fair environment is better than resorting to ban and control. imo, In the meantime their people will turn to offshore site.