The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) recently announced the deployment of artificial intelligence monitoring tools to detect and block illegal online gambling sites in real time. The system will be officially operational soon, marking a stricter technical control measure by the Philippine regulatory authorities against illegal gambling activities.
At the Senate Committee on Gaming and Entertainment hearing, PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Jessa Fernandez detailed the operating mechanism of the new system. This AI platform will establish a joint response mechanism with the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center, and the National Telecommunications Commission to achieve real-time identification and immediate blocking of illegal gambling sites. Fernandez stated that this technological upgrade will significantly improve regulatory efficiency and change the previous passive monitoring model that relied on manual reporting.
The Executive Director of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center, Aboy Paraiso, disclosed the current governance achievements at the meeting. Since 2024, the regulatory authorities have successfully intercepted and shut down over 10,000 illegal gambling platforms. However, industry observers note that the current achievements may only reveal a partial situation of the illegal market size, and a deeper black network operation system remains to be further combated.
This technological upgrade coincides with a major adjustment period for the Philippine gambling payment system. The Central Bank of the Philippines previously required electronic payment platforms to sever connections with the gambling industry, leading to significant fluctuations in legal online gambling transactions. Regulatory data shows that after the adjustment of payment channels, related transaction volumes temporarily fell by about 50%, directly affecting the funding chain of the illegal operation system that relies on gray income.
The Philippine gambling industry has long faced a complex situation intertwined with cross-border fraud activities. From offshore gambling operators to transnational fraud groups, there are complex networks of money flows and interests involved. The deployment of this artificial intelligence monitoring system is seen both as a technological tool to cut off the illegal industry chain and as a trigger for industry concerns about the boundaries of technological governance and regulatory transparency.
Industry analysis points out that the effectiveness of technological regulatory measures will depend on three key factors: the accuracy of the system algorithms, the efficiency of inter-departmental collaboration, and continuously updated regulatory strategies. With the new system going online, the Philippines will become the first country in Southeast Asia to comprehensively apply artificial intelligence technology to regulate the gambling industry, and its operational effects may provide important references for regional regulation.
