The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has released an explicit public statement to warn people against a growing number of illicit online gaming websites which operate without licensing and oversight.

These websites are displaying the PAGCOR logo but they only do that to feign authenticity; the government regulator insists that they have never been approved or licensed by the authorities.

The respective PAGCOR logo has been found on multiple online casinos that upon verification have been confirmed to be lacking a valid license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The National Police in the Philippines is currently investigating this matter, with support from the Department of Information and Communication Technology and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Alejandro Tengco, the Chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, reassured the public that the authorities have so far been able to shut down most of the illicit online gambling websites. However, he warned that some of these entities that are operating illegally can create new online gaming websites “almost immediately.” Tengco has asked the public to cooperate and be vigilant to “help us weed out these scammers.”

Further Steps Considered

Moreover, Alejandro Tengco added that PAGCOR is working “in coordination with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)” to monitor illegal online casinos that have not yet been blocked or taken down.

“Another option is to create a landing site to redirect bettors to a website that will warn them about illegal sites that they are accessing,” the PAGCOR Chairman explained. The government-owned corporation also announced that it has begun working on contacting payment providers and asking them to stop allowing payments toward these illegal online gambling websites.

Such fake online casinos can be a part of financial scams or might even be stealing personal information from unsuspecting users, so consumers must be careful and double check the authenticity of such outlets.

In fact, PAGCOR urged the public to go through the official list of licensed operators on the official government website and see whether a certain operator is on the approved list or not. The presence of the PAGCOR logo on a website is not enough to demonstrate that an online casino is legit.

Source: “PAGCOR warns vs fake online gaming sites“. PAGCOR. September 12, 2023.

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