Sterner gambling regulation in QC

The Quezon City council has just finished public consultations on further regulating games of chance. One of the first cities to enact in 2014 a comprehensive ordinance governing gambling, QC wants more controls. Rightly so. Changing lifestyles and new technology necessitate tougher preventives against the toll of gambling on residents’ health and welfare. Gambling joints and betting stations have proliferated across the country. Add to that online gaming, a fairly new phenomenon. The QC council is moving in the right direction by adding safeguards.

The proposed ordinance would establish a Code of Practice for Responsible Gambling, with penalties for violations. Special permits are to be required for casinos, bingo, cockfights, online sports betting, e-games, and the like. Application procedures are detailed. The list of banned personalities in gambling houses is expanded. Proactively, there would be information and education

drives to avert problem gambling, and a 24/7 help hotline for problem gamblers.

To ensure strict compliance with the new rules, a Responsible Gambling Advisory Council would be put in place. It will consist of the mayor, the vice mayor as head of the city council, the councilor in charge of games and amusement, and selected city hall department chiefs. The advisory body will oversee the approval, monitoring, and evaluation of gambling activities, in coordination with the state's Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

Gambling as public health risk. Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and Councilor Ivy Xenia Lim-Lagman, chairperson of the committee on games and amusement, are shepherding the local legislation. Public health is one of Belmonte’s advocacies, and problem gambling is a public health concern. The malady considerably can harm the financial, emotional, and mental state of individuals, families, and communities.

Since no government can totally eradicate gambling, the best option is proper regulation. Thus do the Pagcor Charter and related laws allow certain games of chance. Legal gaming operators are subjected to close state scrutiny and control. Too, they must contribute part of their earnings to help defray the costs of governance.

Timely action. Soon to enter QC is the Philippines’ largest casino operator, Solaire Resort and Casino. That makes the proposed ordinance all the more urgent. Publicly listed Bloomberry Resorts Corp. of ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. plans to build a P20-billion casino in Quezon City’s North Triangle com- mercial district. That would be Solaire’s second operation after its successful resort casino in Pagcor’s Entertainment City in Parañaque. Construction of the Solaire complex starts next year, for completion by 2019.

The entry of a giant integrated resort in QC is a mark of the city’s rise. It only makes good business sense, therefore, for the city to pass a comprehensive framework to govern not only casinos but all other forms of gambling. That should not usurp but complement Pagcor’s regulatory authority at the national level.

Sterner regulation. Like with any other bill, there are supporters and naysayers. But in Quezon City’s gaming ordinance, only those in nefarious trades would oppose sterner regulation. Any legit gaming businessman knows that everyone’s compliance with rules ensures a level playing field. Illicit gambling debases neighborhoods, leaves problem gamblers unaided, and deprives government of revenues. It breeds corruption, tax evasion, and serious crimes.

Born and raised in QC, I’ve seen local leaders come and go with their promised reform. I’ve also seen the ugly face of illegal gambling and how it worsens poverty and destroys families. Today the city council through the leadership of Vice Mayor Belmonte is in a unique position to put more teeth to our city’s gambling regulations. It’s about time. We can’t be all bark and no bite.

* * * The Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity celebrates its 49th anniversary today with renewed dedication to nationalism, service, and brotherhood. The traditional wreath-laying at the Katipunero Monument, Vinzons Hall, UP-Diliman, will be at 9 a.m. Right after is the turnover of a check to construct more EKITsponsored dwellings for the homeless in the CFC site in Caloocan City. The fellowship night will be tomorrow, 7 p.m., at Albergo Hotel, Baguio, hosted by Baguio-Pangasinan alumni and resident chapters. The 49th anniversary committee is headed by UPD Batch 1977 brother Almario Licuanan. Theme: “Pagkakaisa Patungong Singkuwenta.” For details, contact any 1977 brod or chapter Supremo.

* * * Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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The council is to expand its 2014 ordinance to cover new games of chance, particularly online.