Inside Asian Gaming

IAG OCT 2019年10月 亞博匯 26 COVER STORY drew negative reactions from the Philippine public. “Everybody is well aware what’s going on; the Philippines made the mistake of making noise about it,” says Dylan, an experienced gaming executive in the Philippines who requested anonymity. To lessen POGO local visibility and disruption while facilitating oversight, PAGCOR – the Philippine regulator and government owned-casino operator that took over regulation of overseas online gaming in 2016 from special economic zones outside Manila – POGO operators and real estate developers proposed overseas gaming hubs for Cavite on the southern outskirts of Metro Manila and Clark, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital. POGO hubs would feature office space, related government services such as tax and immigration, worker housing and services for businesses and residents. PAGCOR offered to extend the license term of POGOs agreeing to relocate to these hubs in Cavite and Clark to five years from the normal three years. China’s embassy in Manila lambasted the hub concept and alleged illegal employment of Chinese in the Philippines in a 9 August statement, then upped the ante. The embassy decried “cross-border gambling activities” targeting Chinese citizens, saying it increases “crime and social problems” in China. “The Chinese side hopes and urges relevant departments of the Philippine Government to pay more attention to China’s position and concerns and take concrete and effectivemeasures to prevent and punish the Philippine casinos, POGOs and other forms of gambling entities for their illegal employment of Chinese citizens and crack down on related crimes that hurt the Chinese citizens,” it said. “TUMOR” REMOVAL In response, PAGCOR suspended issuance of new licenses – there are currently 60 POGOs of which 48 are “Philippine POGO operations and Live Dealer/Online (LDO) operations in Cambodia have grown so large that they now demand the Chinese central government’s intervention.” – Andrew Klebanow 「菲律賓離岸博彩營運商及柬埔寨的線上實時荷官業務發展如此迅速，以至於他 們現在需要中國中央政府的干涉。」 – Andrew Klebanow