The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) says it has successfully shut down another iGaming operation in the country, and is calling on the public to resist gambling with black market operators.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, 12 people were arrested following a month-long surveillance operation in Parañaque City conducted by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The illegal iGaming site offered online slots, live casino gaming and esports. In a raid of the premises, law enforcement seized 11 computers, 21 cell phones, two iPads, six laptops and flash drives, said PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco.
“The raiders were armed with a warrant to search, seize and examine operations of computer data against the suspects who were caught red-handed while operating the illegal online gaming platform www.tbb888.com or the Big Bet,” Tengco said.
PAGCOR Senior Vice President for Security and Monitoring Cluster Raul Villanueva said the arrests demonstrated the regulator’s zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal online operators.
“The (Parañaque City) operation was part of our unified efforts to intensify the fight against illegal online gambling because we have a marching order from PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco to put a stop to these illegal activities.
“We will continuously collaborate with law enforcement authorities such as the PNP and even the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to put a stop to these.
“We advise the public to stop patronizing illegal online gaming sites and instead play on legal platforms to protect themselves. Unfortunately, most of the victims of these illegal sites are Filipino bettors.
“We are also working closely with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center under the Department of Information and Communications Technology because we have a lot more targets under surveillance.”
According to the Manila Bulletin, some 5,000 illegal online gaming sites once operated in the country, but law enforcers and regulators have blocked about 80 percent of those.
“We need to consistently monitor and report them to authorities not only to protect the bettors but to also ensure that revenues from regulated gaming are channeled back to the government for its nation-building programs,” said Villaneuva.
