Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR said Friday that it has now blocked around 80% of the illegal gaming sites once operating in the country following the arrest of 12 people for involvement in illegal online gaming operations.
According to information provided by the regulator, the arrests followed a month-long surveillance operation by the Parañaque City subdivision, and in consultation with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The illegal gaming site has been offering online slots, live casino and esports, among others, with authorities seizing 11 computers, 21 mobile phones, two iPads, six laptops plus flash drives, according to PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco..
“The raiders were armed with a warrant to search, seize and examine operations of computer data against the suspects who were caught red-handed while operating the illegal online gaming platform www.tbb888.com or the Big Bet,” Tengco said.
The raid was conducted inside BF Northwest Subdivision, an affluent enclave whose residents include some of the most prominent political and business leaders in Parañaque, the agency added.
More broadly, PAGCOR Senior Vice President for Security and Monitoring Cluster Raul Villanueva said the arrests represented the regulator’s ongoing crackdown on illegal online operators following ongoing controversies around its Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL) industry – formerly known as POGO.
According to Villanueva, close to 5,000 illegal online gaming sites were operating in the country at one time but 80% of these were now blocked.
“We need to consistently monitor and report them to authorities not only to protect the bettors but to also ensure that revenues from regulated gaming are channelled back to the government for its nation-building programs,” he said.
“The [Parañaque City] operation was part of our unified efforts to intensify the fight against illegal online gambling because we have a marching order from PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco to put a stop to these illegal activities.
“We will continuously collaborate with law enforcement authorities such as the PNP and even the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to put a stop to these.
“We advise the public to stop patronizing illegal online gaming sites and instead play on legal platforms to protect themselves. Unfortunately, most of the victims of these illegal sites are Filipino bettors.
“We are also working closely with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center under the Department of Information and Communications Technology because we have a lot more targets under surveillance.”
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