POGO should go — China

China offers to jointly tackle criminal activities including online gambling and cyber fraud

The Chinese government showed it has no intention of coddling Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) firms that are suspected of doubling as espionage hubs by suggesting that the government ban all types of online gambling.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said his country had taken cognizance of the government’s decision to suspend issuance of licenses to POGO, but it added the hope that “the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling.”

Geng expressed hope the government will further strengthen law enforcement with China and “jointly tackle criminal activities including online gambling and cyber fraud.”

This will help create an enabling environment for the development of bilateral relations and peace and stability in the region, he added.

Government data showed some 138,000 Chinese workers are in the Internet-based POGO business.

PAGCOR issues moratorium

Last 19 August, gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) suspended acceptance of applications for new offshore gambling firms on the heels of China’s call for a crackdown on gambling operations that it suspects were illegally employing its nationals.

PAGCOR will pause and “look at other concerns that we have not met comfortably” regarding POGO, said its chairman Andrea Domingo.

Domingo stressed the social costs and benefits from 58 licensed POGO operators will be evaluated.

“At the end of the year, we will complete the assessments. We don’t want problems. We should be able to come up with a viable program,” she said.

She admitted China’s uncompromising stand against online gambling poses a problem for the approval of any new POGO licenses.

“We expect to have a problem from this crackdown. We have to give an assurance to investors that here, everything is up and above board,” Domingo said.

Social tumor

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng considers online gambling as a most dangerous tumor in modern society detested by people all across the world.

“It is a shared hope that the problem could be effectively dealt with,” he said.

In a previous statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said a “large number” of Chinese nationals have been illegally recruited and hired in the Philippine gambling industry.

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