The Philippine government is intensifying its efforts to crack down on illegal online gambling. The Presidential Office announced that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have joined forces to launch a large-scale rectification operation, successfully shutting down over 7,000 unauthorized gambling websites.
Vice Presidential Spokesperson Claire Castro stated at a press conference that despite DICT's continuous efforts to block these platforms, illegal gambling sites often quickly change their URLs and come back online, creating a "block one, pop up another" repetitive cycle.
"The proliferation of illegal gambling sites has become a severe challenge for our country's cyber governance," Castro pointed out, "Even though the government keeps cracking down, these sites continue to emerge."
She emphasized that the government will continue to strengthen supervision, not tolerate any unlicensed gambling activities, and called on the public not to visit, participate in, or spread such illegal platforms to avoid becoming promoters of illegal activities.
Regarding whether there will be a complete ban on all online gaming platforms, including "Scatter," Castro clearly responded that platforms like Scatter have been authorized and regulated by PAGCOR, hence they are not targeted in the crackdown.
"Scatter and other licensed platforms are under government regulation," she added, and reminded the public that if they discover family members experiencing problems due to online gambling addiction, they can apply to PAGCOR to restrict their account access.
She further stated: "We encourage family members to report cases of gambling addiction in a timely manner, PAGCOR will intervene and provide necessary interventions to prevent the problem from worsening."
This statement once again shows that the Philippine government is stepping up efforts to eliminate illegal gambling platforms, maintaining the cyber environment and social order.
