PAGCOR tightens rules, but Offshore Casinos remain accessible

[DubemIfedigbo001]

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.

Why would they want to fully address it, they get their fair share from the offshore casinos without directly having the responsibility of attending to issues their gamblers encounter with it, that relieves them some responsibilities and still lets you know how little they care about the well being of the gamblers. They tighten the rule for regulated casinos under their watch but gives free hand to offshore casinos. Remind me the description of hypocrisy?

[AlexSnowSnow]

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 government can't really be unaware that offshore casinos are easy to reach. If they truly wanted to cut people off from online gambling, they'd have to block VPNs too, and that's basically a sovereign internet with 1984 around the corner. Not a great outlook

[Maslate]

Why would they want to fully address it, they get their fair share from the offshore casinos without directly having the responsibility of attending to issues their gamblers encounter with it, that relieves them some responsibilities and still lets you know how little they care about the well being of the gamblers. They tighten the rule for regulated casinos under their watch but gives free hand to offshore casinos. Remind me the description of hypocrisy?

How can you assume they are getting a fair share from offshore casinos when they cannot regulate them so there's no pressure on offshore casinos to pay anything, I believe they will just continue operating and accepting gamblers from the Philippines without paying anyone, they will only pay when they have no choice and in this case they are not pressured to do so because Philippine laws are difficult to enforce against operators based outside the country.

[Sanitough]

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 government can't really be unaware that offshore casinos are easy to reach. If they truly wanted to cut people off from online gambling, they'd have to block VPNs too, and that's basically a sovereign internet with 1984 around the corner. Not a great outlook

They could not even block people from using DNS tricks to bypass restrictions, much less VPNs. Just like when our country banned Binance and yet people could easily bypass the restrictions without using a VPN, so their blocking systems are not very effective allowing people to continue doing what they want as the government does not seem to strictly enforce penalties against those who violate the restrictions.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Why would they want to fully address it, they get their fair share from the offshore casinos without directly having the responsibility of attending to issues their gamblers encounter with it, that relieves them some responsibilities and still lets you know how little they care about the well being of the gamblers. They tighten the rule for regulated casinos under their watch but gives free hand to offshore casinos. Remind me the description of hypocrisy?

How can you assume they are getting a fair share from offshore casinos when they cannot regulate them so there's no pressure on offshore casinos to pay anything, I believe they will just continue operating and accepting gamblers from the Philippines without paying anyone, they will only pay when they have no choice and in this case they are not pressured to do so because Philippine laws are difficult to enforce against operators based outside the country.

And I don't think that those casinos are going to pay anyway, still up to the Philippine government if they are going to let offshore games be still accessible to them or not. But the obvious answer is that if they are bent of tightening their rules on gambling then it might go after offshore too.

As the money that they are profiting from Philippines could be huge as we all know that Filipinos love to gamble. I once gamble in a online game and even the dealer knows that there are Filipinos amongst the bettor as their topic is about the country and even the dealer knows how to speak the local dialect of the Filipinos. So that's how huge they are in terms of playing in offshore casinos.

[EluguHcman]

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.

You are getting it wrong if you think you are being able to access the casino simply because if government in your place is not issuing licences to the newly introduced casinos.
If the condition is strictly about licensing the casino companies, that has nothing to do with the players or users rather, the bone of contention is basically about the casinos being operates legally.

Meanwhile... The government of a region will only have such authority influence to regulate players over accessing a casino only if the casino is stationed in the region.

Perhaps the offshore casinos may issue its rules where they decides if people abroad can access their sites conditionally or unconditionally with KYC or VPN or otherwise and users who don't get qualified with the terms won't be allowed to access their sites, if also somehow you bypasses, then you are at your own risk. .

[hedgeh0g]

And I don't think that those casinos are going to pay anyway, still up to the Philippine government if they are going to let offshore games be still accessible to them or not. But the obvious answer is that if they are bent of tightening their rules on gambling then it might go after offshore too.

As the money that they are profiting from Philippines could be huge as we all know that Filipinos love to gamble. I once gamble in a online game and even the dealer knows that there are Filipinos amongst the bettor as their topic is about the country and even the dealer knows how to speak the local dialect of the Filipinos. So that's how huge they are in terms of playing in offshore casinos.

I don’t want to speak ill of them, but the situation stems from the fact that the population is very large, while earnings remain low. Filipinos constantly see wealthy tourists visiting their country for vacations and spending significant amounts of money on various things. Like many other people with limited means, Filipinos dream of becoming wealthier so they can afford quality healthcare, good food, and leisure but they don’t know where to get the money for it. Unfortunately, many of them believe that a casino might help them achieve this, without ever considering that the exact opposite could happen.

[Dareo]

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 not related to entering the site, but withdrawing your money from it. Playing at an online casino which operates in violation of the legislation of your country means that you have deprived yourself of all your rights to protection. The moment when they claim that something went wrong with their system or even block your account without any valid reasons, you have no opportunity to turn to anyone for help and get justice. So, you have to remember about one important thing prior to making bets.

[Hispo]

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 government can't really be unaware that offshore casinos are easy to reach. If they truly wanted to cut people off from online gambling, they'd have to block VPNs too, and that's basically a sovereign internet with 1984 around the corner. Not a great outlook

The governments of the world are aware that going against VNPs is a lost battle. We are talking about one of the most widely available tools on the internet.
One thing is trying to ban gambling and betting imma country, but an completely different thing would be trying to ban and get restrict access to VPNs and Tor to people.

Something similar happen with offshore casinos, local governments know people are not supposed to access to them and gamble in national regulated casinos instead, but there is little they can do about it.

[LogitechMouse]

---
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.

I always have this one thing in my mind when it comes to the government.
A government body could implement rules whenever they want to, but if they can't implement it PROPERLY, it's completely useless.

I don't know about the others, but it seems like there are some casino websites and casino games where it isn't accessible anymore if you're using an IP address from the PH, but the bad thing is they redirect you to other websites that are regulated. Look at the irony of it. With regards to the system glitches that happens all the time, always take note that a system glitch only happens WHEN somebody won the huge jackpot. How coincidental it is, right? This is the reason why I don't play on these casinos even though they're regulated.

There are some websites where gamblers are required to use VPN and if that's the case then the government can't do anything about it. They could still implement rules, but there will always, always be a loophole around it where gamblers could maximize. It's not they're fooling themselves. It's just that they're always be loopholes or solutions to it.

[PERtua]

And I don't think that those casinos are going to pay anyway, still up to the Philippine government if they are going to let offshore games be still accessible to them or not. But the obvious answer is that if they are bent of tightening their rules on gambling then it might go after offshore too.

As the money that they are profiting from Philippines could be huge as we all know that Filipinos love to gamble. I once gamble in a online game and even the dealer knows that there are Filipinos amongst the bettor as their topic is about the country and even the dealer knows how to speak the local dialect of the Filipinos. So that's how huge they are in terms of playing in offshore casinos.

I don’t want to speak ill of them, but the situation stems from the fact that the population is very large, while earnings remain low. Filipinos constantly see wealthy tourists visiting their country for vacations and spending significant amounts of money on various things. Like many other people with limited means, Filipinos dream of becoming wealthier so they can afford quality healthcare, good food, and leisure but they don’t know where to get the money for it. Unfortunately, many of them believe that a casino might help them achieve this, without ever considering that the exact opposite could happen.

I believe there is more to be said on the economic aspect of this. If someone is having money troubles, they may think that gambling is a way to improve their life without realizing that they have the possibility of losing money that they can't afford to lose. But not all people gamble for the same reason, so it is inappropriate to generalize about a population. Regulators have just a part of the problem to solve with limiting access to offshore web pages. Payment options, bogus promotions and dispute resolution are another area that should be addressed. If access to a particular platform is limited, users may be able to access something else on the internet. My own view is that there are other things that must be done in addition to website blocking, to protect players, such as financial awareness and how to report against unfair treatment.

[Ziskinberg]

There are some websites where gamblers are required to use VPN

I find it unbelievable. Sorry but could you name some gambling websites that actually require their users to use a VPN? Because from what I know some gambling websites even discourage their users from using a VPN to avoid getting their accounts locked. So if a casino requires it then it could be a hassle for gamblers since not everyone wants to use a VPN just to gamble.

[Betwrong]

~

I believe there is more to be said on the economic aspect of this. If someone is having money troubles, they may think that gambling is a way to improve their life without realizing that they have the possibility of losing money that they can't afford to lose. But not all people gamble for the same reason, so it is inappropriate to generalize about a population. Regulators have just a part of the problem to solve with limiting access to offshore web pages. Payment options, bogus promotions and dispute resolution are another area that should be addressed. If access to a particular platform is limited, users may be able to access something else on the internet. My own view is that there are other things that must be done in addition to website blocking, to protect players, such as financial awareness and how to report against unfair treatment.

It is very inappropriate to generalize like that, because less than 10% of all gamblers can be called ‘problem gamblers,’ and it is problem gamblers who gamble to improve their life while having money troubles. Most gamblers — more than 90% of them — are not problem gamblers. Most gamblers gamble for fun, of course hoping to win a lot, but their life doesn’t depend on it. With that being said, I disagree with blocking websites, but I support the idea of financial awareness and making reporting about unfair treatment easier.

[Maslate]

With that being said, I disagree with blocking websites, but I support the idea of financial awareness and making reporting about unfair treatment easier.

Blocking gambling websites does not automatically solve the problem of gambling addiction but it helps protect regulated casinos from unfair competition. It's also about ensuring fair competition since licensed casinos operate legally and pay taxes to the government. So the government has a responsibility to make sure illegal gambling websites are not easily accessible to the public. Of course VPNs are an exception since we know the government cannot completely prevent people from using them to bypass restrictions.

[Betwrong]

With that being said, I disagree with blocking websites, but I support the idea of financial awareness and making reporting about unfair treatment easier.

Blocking gambling websites does not automatically solve the problem of gambling addiction but it helps protect regulated casinos from unfair competition. It's also about ensuring fair competition since licensed casinos operate legally and pay taxes to the government. So the government has a responsibility to make sure illegal gambling websites are not easily accessible to the public. Of course VPNs are an exception since we know the government cannot completely prevent people from using them to bypass restrictions.

Illegal gambling sites? Of course they should be blocked in the most effective way. I meant, blocking all gambling sites in the regions where online gambling is prohibited. I'm against blocking all gambling sites. It is very likely that illegal sites plan to scam users, and it's, like you said, the government's responsibility to protect people of their country from losing money to scammers.

[davis196]

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.

I live in a European country and I cannot access certain online casinos and bookmakers, because my Internet Service Provider blocks my access to their domains. I can access them by changing my IP address and using proxies. Perhaps the government of the Philippines should collaborate with the internet service providers, which are operating within the country, so that they could block the users from accessing the offshore casinos and bookmakers.
This won't solve the problem 100%, but it is a step in the right direction, since the unlicensed offshore gambling operators cannot be considered trustworthy.

[Mr_Brilliant$]

The world is connected with each other doesn't mean that there is just one leader to rule the world. We are divided by our believes and systems. Whatever laws you placed in your own country applies to your own country. Now, if players find a way to still bet a outside the shores of their country and you blame the government for not enforcing the rule enough is absolutely wrong. Like I have pointed out before. Laws are applied to the country you reside in, not your neighbouring country. Have you checked whether the laws is being enforced properly within the country? If yes, the action of the government towards that law says a lot about them.

[Die_empty]

It is very inappropriate to generalize like that, because less than 10% of all gamblers can be called ‘problem gamblers,’ and it is problem gamblers who gamble to improve their life while having money troubles. Most gamblers — more than 90% of them — are not problem gamblers. Most gamblers gamble for fun, of course hoping to win a lot, but their life doesn’t depend on it. With that being said, I disagree with blocking websites, but I support the idea of financial awareness and making reporting about unfair treatment easier.

I am not also in support of blocking access to gambling entirely. Gambling has been in existence for a long time and shouldn't be banned totally. People have been using it as a form of entertainment for centuries. Regulation should be the best option. Some casinos are designed to scam or take advantage of people. Therefore, the government needs to ensure that its citizens are protected. Blocking unregistered or fraudulent casinos should be the main thrust of the government instead of outright banning.

[Betwrong]

~ With that being said, I disagree with blocking websites, but I support the idea of financial awareness and making reporting about unfair treatment easier.

~Regulation should be the best option. Some casinos are designed to scam or take advantage of people. Therefore, the government needs to ensure that its citizens are protected. Blocking unregistered or fraudulent casinos should be the main thrust of the government instead of outright banning.

If they leave legitimate online casinos that pay taxes and don't scam their users, it will be beneficial for both the government and gamblers in the Philippines. The government gets money in the form of taxes, and gamblers get a number of legit sites to play on. They don't have to register on illegal sites where they could be scammed, which is exactly what they would certainly end up doing using a VPN if all gambling sites in their country were banned.

[danherbias07]

They still haven't resolved those issues, and they are already posting about recent winners of millions of pesos. I know it because I was notified on my phone. BingoPlus, to be exact.

I still play on local online casinos, but only very mildly. I don't really want to end up the same way as those gamblers who won a big amount and then ended up unable to receive it because they say it's a glitch or whatever reason they can get.
For me, offshore gambling is still the best choice. Well, they are still accessible, and you can definitely play. Just be careful with the withdrawals because you don't want to end up being a target of the government. Slow and stay within the amount bracket.