On September 13, 2024, Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stated on September 12 that the Senate is determined to expedite the passage of a bill in support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s declaration to completely ban offshore gaming operators (POGO) in the Philippines.
At a press conference, Gatchalian mentioned that several senators, including Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, have agreed to accelerate the bill's passage. He added, "We hope to complete it within the next two weeks. It's a straightforward bill, thanks to Senators Joel Villanueva and Alan Peter Cayetano for proposing it."
The bill will consolidate Senate Bill No. 63 by Cayetano, Senate Bills No. 1281 and 2752 by Villanueva, and Senate Bill No. 2689 by Gatchalian. Cayetano and Villanueva are pushing to ban all forms of online gambling, while Gatchalian aims to repeal Republic Act No. 11590, which specifically taxes the gaming industry.
E-Gaming
During a Senate hearing, the issue of e-gaming was discussed, which only allows local customers to place bets online. Although there are proposals to also ban e-gaming, Gatchalian mentioned that the committee is considering the revenue the national government derives from this industry.
He pointed out that the revenue from e-gaming by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has grown to 22 billion pesos, with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collecting nearly 12 billion pesos from it. In contrast, three years ago, PAGCOR's revenue was only 6 billion pesos, and BIR's revenue was only 2 billion pesos.
However, Gatchalian noted that the committee found regulatory loopholes in the industry, particularly in account opening. He highlighted that anyone, even minors, could register for e-gaming accounts using fake names and ages, potentially involving illegal activities such as money laundering.
Meanwhile, Gilberto Cruz, the director and undersecretary of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), revealed that President Marcos plans to sign an executive order within two weeks to completely ban gambling.
Alejandro Tengco, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, reported to the committee that internet gaming license holders (IGLs) would also be covered by this executive order. He emphasized that these companies do not accept any form of betting and only provide backend services to offshore gaming companies.
Tengco also disclosed that members of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement plan to visit three special-grade BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) companies to better understand their operations.
