Pagcor Bingo
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has issued a warnings to citizens about the dangers of illegal gambling, after receiving reports about illegal online bingo games being organised in the country.
The regulator warned that these games, which were being promoted through Facebook, were exploiting uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic to steal players’ money, financial information and commit identity theft.
Furthermore, Pagcor pointed out, playing these illegal products is also a crime.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR, Filipino: Korporasyon sa Libangan at Palaro ng Pilipinas) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established through the Presidential Decree 1869.
Sep 27, 2016 The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said it would no longer revoke the licenses of eBingo entities located inside malls, arcades and hotels even if they are near schools or churches. BINGO Fun with a capital 'B' Enjoy your favorite games and get the chance to win big cash prizes! Pagcor said the suspension applies to all land-based casinos, electronic games, bingo, sports betting, poker and slot machines, and other activities regulated by Pagcor in Metro Manila. Pagcor E-Bingo Bocaue. 541 likes 609 were here.
“Pacgor is committed to the prosecution of persons involved in such illegal activities, because of the strong link between illegal gambling and organised crime who are also engaged in credit card fraud, identity theft, money laundering, among others,” it explained.
The regulator’s warning comes after the Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) saw operations significantly disrupted by Covid-19. These operators were ordered to temporarily cease activities from 18 March, but it was announced on 1 May that they would be permitted to resume operations, provided their tax affairs were in order.
This meant that they had to have paid all franchise tax owed to Pagcor, as well as additional taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and regulatory fees for April. However, with many operators in arrears, this has led to significant delays in their return to business.
According to local media, a number of POGOs have either confirmed or are planning to pull out of the market as a result of the disruption, with a number of service providers also thought to be shutting down.
While POGOs have long been controversial, to the point that China has demanded the industry be shut down because of targeting of Chinese nationals, they are a significant contributor to the Philippines economy, providing more than 31,556 jobs as well as tax revenue.
The industry is also a major source of funding for the real estate industry, which has earned an estimated PHP25bn from leaseholds and rent payments, according to Pagcor.
For the three months to 31 March 2020, gambling revenue from Pacgor’s sector fell 5.7% year-on-year to PHP17.22bn, with land-based casinos shuttered from 15 March. Facilities in certain parts of the country began to reopen from 8 June, though were limited to 50% capacity, with larger facilities unlikely to follow until July.
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan asked the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to cancel the electronic bingo permit the State-run gaming corporation issued to Mr. Rafael A. Tabora to operate an e-bingo outlet along Marcos Highway on the ground that Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog and some members of the city councilors, namely, Councilor Faustino A. Olowan and Joel Alangsab, who had signed the resolution of endorsement to the e-bingo operation, are now claiming that their signatures are not their own and therefore forged.
In a letter to PAGCOR Chairman Cristino Naguiyat, Jr., Mayor Domogan explained his subsequent endorsement expressing no objection to Mr. Tabor’s application for electronic bingo permit in the city, provided that their outlets are not within areas prohibited by law, had been based on the unnumbered resolution signed by at least ten members of the city council and since these councilors had claimed that their signatures are not theirs, then “it appears that our endorsement has no more basis to stand.”
“We respectfully pray for your appropriate and favourable action on the matter,” Domogan told Naguiyat in his letter.
Earlier, Bilog and some members of the city council seemed to be “washing their hands”after the unnumbered resolution dated 25 March 2015 was uncovered and made known to the public.
He claimed the stroke of his signature appearing on the resolution was not similar to the stroke of his signature appearing on city council documents.
“I could not remember signing it. In fact, even in the letter of Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan to PAGCOR Chairman Cristino Naguiyat, Jr. dated 14 April 2014, he did not include me as part of the signatories to the resolution,” Bilog stressed.
He pointed out the unnumbered resolution dated 25 March 2014 which falls on a Tuesday, instead of a Monday that is the council’s regular session day, has no force and effect and that ‘it is a mere scrap of paper, a mere proposed resolution and that it should not have been used by anybody.
Bilog cited plans of investigating the same so as to avoid any repeat of such incident in the future.
After informing this writer that he was not aware of signing the resolution, councilor Faustino Olowan now claims that his signature appearing on the resolution was forged by somebody which he will not divulge for personal reasons.
Domogan cited while awaiting for the cancellation to be issued by PAGCOR, he will not renew the business permit issued by the city government to Mr. Tabora’s e-bingo operations anchored on a permit issued by the State-run gaming corporation when the same will expire by May this year.
For the past several years, the city council had been passing a number of resolutions strongly opposing the operation of all forms of gambling in the city and tasked the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to conduct all-out operations against all forms of gambling that proliferate in the city and to submit their periodic reports relative to the operations they were able to conduct but it seems nothing has been done about it.