Bienvenido Laguesma, Labor Secretary of the Philippines, has warned more than 22,000 workers about potential unemployment. This could happen if the government bans offshore gaming operators. In a television interview, he stated that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is preparing measures to support the affected workers. These measures will be in place if the government decides to proceed with the ban.
According to Laguesma, in the Philippines, there are around 50 legitimate offshore gaming operators. They employ over 22,000 Filipinos. Moreover, around 8,000 foreign nationals, mainly from Vietnam, are legally working in the online gambling sector.
A lot of lawmakers in the Philippines are calling for a ban on offshore gaming companies. A security expert described operators as Trojan horses that China could use to stage surprise attacks against military installations.
The Philippines has also called by The Chinese Embassy in Manila to forbid offshore gaming operators. On Friday, a statement revealed that authorities had implicated nearly 3,000 Chinese nationals in crimes such as telecom fraud. This is in relation to offshore gaming operators since 2018.
As of early June, PAGCOR or The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has authorized 44 operators and service providers under its PIGO or Philippine Inland Gaming Operator licensing program. It was introduced in year 2020.
The regulator has approved 10 operators to run online and remote gaming platforms. Most of them are integrated resort and hotel casino operators. These include Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, Travellers International Hotel Group, Stotsenberg Leisure Park and Hotel, Thunderbird Pilipinas Hotels & Resorts, and Eastbay Resorts.
Aside from these, another gaming operators approved are Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment, MJC Investment Corp, Hann Philippines, and BB International Leisure and Resort Development. Bingo Plus is the only operator approved for an online casino that does not run a land-based casino. Digiplus owns it, and AB Leisure Exponent runs it.
