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Licensed gambling operators insist: ‘Where illegality thrives, protection vanishes’

Licensed gambling operators insist: ‘Where illegality thrives, protection vanishes’

Provided by INQUIRER.net.

Some of the Philippines’ licensed online gaming operators form the PlaySafe Alliance of the Philippines on Thursday, Aug. 7, in Ascott BGC in Taguig City.
Some of the Philippines’ licensed online gaming operators form the PlaySafe Alliance of the Philippines on Thursday, Aug. 7, in Ascott BGC in Taguig City. PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYSAFE ALLIANCE OF THE PHILIPPINES



MANILA, Philippines — A collective of licensed online gambling operators said the dangers of online gambling — such as underage access, uncontrolled betting, and financial distress — stem from illegal, unlicensed platforms.

They insisted on this as they commended the Senate for surfacing in an investigation the central issue in the problem of online gambling – the proliferation of illegal gambling operators.

“Licensed operators are subject to oversight, audits, and sanctions,” said the PlaySafe Alliance of the Philippines, which was formed “to create a safe and sustainable online gambling environment that contributes positively to the Filipino nation.”

 

READ: PH licensed gaming operators form alliance to improve industry amid gov’t review

It pointed out that they run KYC [or Know-Your-Customer], age verification, and responsible gaming mechanisms, while stressing that the investigation drew a clear line: “where regulation exists, protection exists; where illegality thrives, protection vanishes.”

Data, presented to the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, claimed that there were 11,985 illegal gambling sites operating in the Philippines, including 6,363 online casino games and 4,815 online sabong sites, although its source and implications were not discussed.

 

READ: Gambling sites start moving to other apps

“We share the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ objectives on consumer protection and financial integrity,” the collective said as it reiterated its stand that “the most effective way to achieve both is to keep lawful activity inside the regulatory perimeter with traceable, supervised payment rails.”

“Delinking licensed operators from online payment platforms would not stop gambling. It risks pushing players into the dark corners of the internet where activity is untraceable, taxes disappear, and harm is harder to detect,” it said.

 

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