PAGCOR tightens rules, but Offshore Casinos remain accessible

[robelneo]

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.

PAGCOR already has a lot of red flags, their interest is in making the government look good in the eyes of its people, but they are too lazy to implement what's good for its people.

I still see a lot of influencers promoting illegal casinos, they also do so when they are notified or getting a call out, and worse is what you've mentioned, where, between issues between casinos and their players, they always side with the casinos, even it's obvious that it's the casino's fault.

[Davidvictorson]

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.

If the government is serious about making offshore casinos inaccessible, they must explore the full option which include from the players' end to the operators' end.
Currently, they are mostly focused on the side of the players... what about the operators? Why can't they block access to them? Yes, they can do this is they want to.
There are many other countries that have this model running.
There is even the reverse of this where casinos geo-restricts access from certain countries, I think this is what the government can learn from and do as well. It should be balanced.

[cryptoaddictchie]

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.

Thats true and its all about revenues at all. I am the same resident with OP and all he said was true. I guess forum users and gamblers here have realized that long enough but the urge to gamble still there even some of these licensed casinos are full of sh*t on their policies. Thats why its much better to use a crypto casino that we had here in the forum cause its much transparent compared to local licensed one but stripping you off a lot.

[Japinat]

what about the operators? Why can't they block access to them? Yes, they can do this is they want to. \

Is there a way to block VPN access, if so then it's possible.
But we have been talking about using VPNs to bypass restrictions and it hasn't been solved. so unless it's possible then maybe that will happen,
Even countries like the UK that have sophisticated systems to block access still have a lot of people accessing illegal casinos.

How much more in the Philippines?

There are many other countries that have this model running.
There is even the reverse of this where casinos geo-restricts access from certain countries, I think this is what the government can learn from and do as well. It should be balanced.

What particular mode you are referring to?

[joeperry]

It was all a showoff and most people are getting fooled by them especially those who doesn't fully understand how it works, they thought gambling only exist in the Philippines and most people thought the government are doing something in regards with online gambling but if you're going to look at the bigger picture, hundreds of offshore casinos are accessible to the people and I agree with some people here, I don't trust the PAGCOR like the one example of the glitch after winning, their goal is to protect the players but it looks like they exist just to earn money or make money out of the players in the Philippines.

[Yorubek]

License gambling and enacting specific laws to protect or control gamblers is just a show-off, the government knows very well that no matter how many laws we enact to control gambling, we will not be able to control some gamblers, they will gamble in any way. The government uses tactics to enact laws to show off, some people believe that the government is taking strict measures against gambling, but in reality the main purpose of the government is to make money from gambling, to control the people from the harm of gambling, this is just a show-off. Making laws is not enough, if the law is not properly implemented, then it is nothing more than a show-off.

[Ziskinberg]

It was all a showoff and most people are getting fooled by them especially those who doesn't fully understand how it works, they thought gambling only exist in the Philippines and most people thought the government are doing something in regards with online gambling but if you're going to look at the bigger picture,,,,,

Still it somehow helps reduce gambling addiction since although there are some offshore casinos, how many of them actually accept fiat or e-wallet payments from the Philippines? Only a few right. The majority of offshore casinos accept crypto and I believe most gamblers in the country are not even aware of crypto casinos or if they are aware they are not crypto users.

[aioc]

Still it somehow helps reduce gambling addiction since although there are some offshore casinos, how many of them actually accept fiat or e-wallet payments from the Philippines? Only a few right. The majority of offshore casinos accept crypto and I believe most gamblers in the country are not even aware of crypto casinos or if they are aware they are not crypto users.

They are too lazy to implement a total ISP ban because they know that there are VPN to access casinos, since they restrict local casinos from integrating local e-wallets and stop issuing new licenses. They think that was it, nothing to implement anymore. They know that only serious gamblers will go so far as to use a VPN to play on offshore sites without PAGCOR protection.

The Philippine is not as strict as Thailand and Malaysia, where they reportedly block hundreds of thousands of illegal casinos, PAGCOR thinks its too much effort and will need additional budget if they implement this

[Dave1]

It was all a showoff and most people are getting fooled by them especially those who doesn't fully understand how it works, they thought gambling only exist in the Philippines and most people thought the government are doing something in regards with online gambling but if you're going to look at the bigger picture, hundreds of offshore casinos are accessible to the people and I agree with some people here, I don't trust the PAGCOR like the one example of the glitch after winning, their goal is to protect the players but it looks like they exist just to earn money or make money out of the players in the Philippines.

But that doesn't look good for the Philippine government to just show off. I think the popular is more intelligent than that and they should really call the attention of the current government. Otherwise, if they tighten those legal casinos but then allow offshore online casinos then it really doesn't make sense.

As for the case that I read, they should really set a good example against this casino and investigate and reward the money to the player if they deemed that there is nothing wrong and there are no glitches whatsoever but they don't just want to play the winner.

[abel1337]

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.

This is legitimately true. There are few issues about jackpot not being paid off in the Philippines and it seems that PAGCOR is siding with the casino with the same reason pertaining to "glitch" to the system. Having a casino license is just basically for the casino to operate in the Philppines but it doesn't have any value for the PH gamblers. They aren't protected with from the refusal of payment by these casinos.

Just for context;
Bingo Plus and Arena plus is under one company which is digiplus. Both casino refused to pay their jackpot winners and both reasoned out that it was a glitch. These issues were broadcast into the mainstream media and PAGCOR doesn't really do their thing protecting the gamblers.

The thing with these licenses is it is being used by these casino to brag that they are legit and should be trusted since they had the licenses. Sadly many Filipinos are being attracted with these given that many gamblers thinks that being acknowledge by PAGCOR is a thing that can be trusted with. In fact I've seen many billboards of these casino in Manila with the logo of PAGCOR.

I honestly think that the reason why they stopped issuing new online gambling licenses is just to concentrate the gamblers to the existing casinos and not to generate more competition. They are tightens but I believe it has an ulterior motive.

[AmaGold70]

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.

PAGCOR tightening gambling rules does not really stop every one from gambling, though to some extent it is going to reduce gambling activities within this place where the regulatory system is taken place. In this situation, not every gambler can find their way out more especially those who gamble in shops. You can actually gain access to gamble with offshore casinos, but at this very point , you are now moving from well known gambling platforms which you were restricted to the the ones you don't really know much about, so more carefulness is needed to ensure your gambling safety while trying to make use of the offshore gambling platforms.

[Cointxz]

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.

Lmao, it’s funny when you mentioned the “protection” part since our whole government is not safe in general so it’s not surprising that even a simple casino regulator cannot be trusted if money is involved.

Government is stealing national funds in the bright day. I doubt PAGCOR will still remain credible if the higher-ups are corrupt.

Even removing access of international Exchange is already a challenge for our government so I doubt they can totally ban offshore casino. 

[angrybirdy]

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.

PAGCOR tightening gambling rules does not really stop every one from gambling, though to some extent it is going to reduce gambling activities within this place where the regulatory system is taken place. In this situation, not every gambler can find their way out more especially those who gamble in shops. You can actually gain access to gamble with offshore casinos, but at this very point , you are now moving from well known gambling platforms which you were restricted to the the ones you don't really know much about, so more carefulness is needed to ensure your gambling safety while trying to make use of the offshore gambling platforms.

As far as I am concerned, more rigid gambling laws imposed by the PAGCOR can definitely decrease the number of people engaged in gambling, but they can hardly prevent gamblers from their favorite activity entirely. In my view, there will be gamblers who will still think of some ways to engage in gambling. They will do this because these gamblers are accustomed to doing this via physical establishments. After being deprived of their usual platforms of gambling, they might go to offshore casinos, not knowing whether these casinos can be trusted and legal. I believe that restricting gambling is one of the components in solving the problem, but not the whole solution itself.

[Alex077]

License gambling and enacting specific laws to protect or control gamblers is just a show-off, the government knows very well that no matter how many laws we enact to control gambling, we will not be able to control some gamblers, they will gamble in any way. The government uses tactics to enact laws to show off, some people believe that the government is taking strict measures against gambling, but in reality the main purpose of the government is to make money from gambling, to control the people from the harm of gambling, this is just a show-off...

I wouldn't say that gambling licenses and all these laws are just for show on the government's part. Of course, governments are interested in the tax revenue the gambling industry brings in, and nobody's arguing with that. For example, licensed casinos have to follow certain rules, carry out KYC checks, keep players' funds secure, and give players the option to self-exclude.

On the other hand, I agree that no laws can stop someone who's really determined to gamble. If the rules are enforced and those who break them are punished, then it's no longer just for show.

[Oyoyoma_yu]

Fair regulation is better to me than total restrictions or tightened regulations that may make gamblers to loose interest gambling with local gambling casinos or sports games. Gambling can be profitable to both gamblers , and the country itself, but the country benefits most from the gambling companies because as far as they operate, the country must generate revenue from them. This gambling companies provides jobs for some youths apart from the money paid to the regulatory body for license, and tax paid to the government. Once the regulatory body makes things difficult for them, they will have no option than to leave to an area of fair regulation, and then you stand to loose the benefit you get from these gambling companies.

[SatsPH]

Fair regulation is better to me than total restrictions or tightened regulations that may make gamblers to loose interest gambling with local gambling casinos or sports games. Gambling can be profitable to both gamblers , and the country itself, but the country benefits most from the gambling companies because as far as they operate, the country must generate revenue from them. This gambling companies provides jobs for some youths apart from the money paid to the regulatory body for license, and tax paid to the government. Once the regulatory body makes things difficult for them, they will have no option than to leave to an area of fair regulation, and then you stand to loose the benefit you get from these gambling companies.

In real application yes, but this is our country that we are talking about. So even if you believed that this is a fair regulation, it is not as there are people with motives that are very powerful from behind that can manipulate everything, even with some politicians.

As for the jobs, we don't have that big casinos similar to gambling world like Macau and Las Vegas. But yeah, maybe it can generate job for Filipino but it pale in comparison when majority of us are falling into gambling addictions.

[coin-investor]

Even removing access of international Exchange is already a challenge for our government so I doubt they can totally ban offshore casino. 

The government is only good at warning its people, but when it comes to taking action, like blocking offshore casinos and penalizing ISPs for not blocking illegal casinos, they are helpless.

They don't want to take action because they need more manpower and additional budgets, something they don't want to provide, there's too much corruption in many government departments nd I believe regulators also have it shares because of their incompetence.

[lionheart78]

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.

This simply shows the problem with the authority of a country and its capability to restrict access of the internet.  Since internet is operating globally, a certain jurisdiction have limited capacity to control the traffic.

That said, it also shows the incapacity of the government. They are not capable of fully implementing their regulation.  It is either the incompetence of the people involved or the limited technology and budget.  We can't also discard the possibility of corruption where the one incharge pocket the budget that is supposed to support the implementation of such regulation.

[bhadz]

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.

They are not foolish; they're making themselves look like it and they're treating us as is. They have an idea about the reality and the ground but, they're playing by the book even it's not realistic at all. There's too much red tape on the government and despite that banning the offshore casinos, the illegal and unregistered ones. They knew it all along that the gamblers will continue to access those which are prohibited by law. What they're telling these illegal casinos is to have themselves registered within their borders since they're benefiting from their local players. That is how they tell them to pay taxes.

[ultrloa]

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.

This simply shows the problem with the authority of a country and its capability to restrict access of the internet.  Since internet is operating globally, a certain jurisdiction have limited capacity to control the traffic.

That said, it also shows the incapacity of the government. They are not capable of fully implementing their regulation.  It is either the incompetence of the people involved or the limited technology and budget.  We can't also discard the possibility of corruption where the one incharge pocket the budget that is supposed to support the implementation of such regulation.

What they could able to do is to dictate the telco's to ban their target casinos.

The problem is their action is limited only on their controlled platforms and organizations. But people always find ways to bypass those restriction they imposed. That's why those action to ban those offshore platforms didn't succeed.

They are so lazy to think about other solution, that's why everything end up not well in their side. Then many of their people still choose to gamble on offshore casinos.