The Philippines made big news this week when they announced they’ve identified up to 300 illegal offshore gambling operations running unchecked in the country. That’s far more than the 46 regulated legitimate sites they currently have. The police have also been warning people about cryptocurrency gambling scams.
PAGCOR (the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp) partnered with law enforcement to help identify these questionable operators, according to chairman Alejandro Tengco. But merely pointing fingers won’t be enough.
These sites just kept on operating even when COVID hit. Legal places got slammed with crazy tax rates and losing players, forcing them to close. The illegal sites adapted as well, using crypto to attract more global players, since payment companies didn’t want to touch their sketchy transactions. Now the Philippines is looking to lay down the law and focus on all these illegal operators that popped up despite our best efforts.
Cole Smith is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of CasinoCurrencies.com. With over a decade of hands-on experience analyzing iGaming payment pipelines and processing speeds, Cole launched the site to give Canadian players an honest, data-backed guide to safe online gambling. If a casino's cashier isn't seamless, Cole will be the first to tell you.