Carpio Blasts Pagcor for Licenses to Chinese Gaming Operators

Carpio Criticizes Pagcor for Issuing Offshore Gaming Licenses to Chinese Operators

Former Philippine Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio has strongly criticized the country’s gaming regulator for permitting Chinese operators to conduct offshore online gaming, even though gambling is illegal in China outside of Macau.

Speaking at a public event in Manila, Carpio highlighted the irony, referencing China’s strict internet censorship. “Have you heard about the ‘great firewall of China?’ The online POGOs [Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators] claiming to operate in China are blocked,” he said, as reported by Rappler. He added, “They get a license from Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.], saying they operate in China, but they are blocked.”

Last July, Pagcor introduced new regulations for POGOs, now referred to as “Internet Gaming Licensees” (IGLs). Carpio argued that many “Chinese-run POGOs” use these licenses as a front for potentially illegal activities like scamming and phishing. “Just cancel those licenses. We are just fooling ourselves,” he emphasized.

Carpio also expressed hope that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would address these offshore operators in his upcoming State of the Nation Address, suggesting it would be beneficial for the president to oppose Pagcor’s licensing rules for POGOs targeting the Chinese market.

In April, China announced its cooperation with Philippine authorities on online gambling issues, describing Chinese citizens as “victims of offshore gambling.” Carpio, along with former senator Leila de Lima and former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, had previously urged President Marcos to cancel these offshore licenses in an open letter, stating, “Pagcor cannot, and should not, issue a license to any POGO that caters to the mainland Chinese market. Any such license is void ab initio [from the beginning] under Pagcor’s own regulations.”

Additionally, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. recently met with law enforcement agencies and local governments in Metro Manila and parts of Luzon to tackle the issue of “illegal POGOs.” Brigadier General Nicolas Salvador, acting Philippine National Police deputy chief for operations, raised concerns about various crimes linked to unlicensed or illegal Internet gaming operators, including espionage, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, physical abuse, kidnapping, extortion, digital fraud, and identity theft. A Special Task Force called “Skimmer” has been established to combat these unlicensed operators through nationwide law enforcement and intelligence operations.

Source: GGRAsia