The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) warns the public about unlicensed offshore gaming, which poses risks to personal and financial information.
Fake gaming sites have been using Pagcor's logo without permission to deceive people. The agency urges caution and vigilance when playing online.
Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco said efforts are being made to shut down illicit websites, but public cooperation is needed.
Pagcor has collaborated with law enforcement agencies and electronic payment service providers to block transactions to and from illegal gambling sites.
Investigation has been turned over to the Philippine National Police, the Department of Information and Communication Technology, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Pagcor is working with the National Telecommunications Commission to take down active illegal online gaming.
Pagcor raises alarm over illegal online gaming
At a glance
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has warned the public about the emergence of unlicensed offshore gaming in the country that has the potential to jeopardize one's personal and financial information.
In a statement, the government's gaming regulator and operator announced the discovery of fake gaming sites that were illegally using Pagcor's logo to deceive people into thinking they were legitimate websites.
Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco advised the public to be more cautious when playing online.
“So far, we have been able to shut down most of these illicit websites, but some of them are able to immediately create new ones so we really need the public’s cooperation and vigilance to help us weed out these scammers,” he said.
Pagcor has also given its investigation to the Philippine National Police, the Department of Information and Communication Technology, and the National Bureau of Investigation to push their monitoring into proper action.
Tengco added that the gaming firm has been looking for ways to block payments to and from illegal gambling sites by working alongside law enforcement agencies and electronic payment service providers.
This method of dealing with unlicensed offshore games has been successful with other countries like the US and Singapore.
Furthermore, Pagcor has coordinated with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to take down active illegitimate online gaming.
The NTC has been responsible for blocking mobile scammers.
“Another option is to create a landing site to redirect bettors to a website that will warn them about illegal sites that they are accessing,” said Tengco.
Assistant Vice President for Offshore Gaming and Licensing Jessa Fernandez also urged the gamers and high rollers to report any unauthorized use of the Pagcor logo or even false government accreditation.
Those who wish to submit a complaint regarding fake offshore gaming may do so by contacting Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation hotline at 09278098610.
Otherwise, the list of official gaming operators can be found on Pagcor’s official website. (Gabriell Christel Galang)