Oct1
The Philippine Gaming Regulator Demands Illegal Online Gambling Investigation
PAGCOR Urges Shut Down of POGO Activity; Some Casinos Deny
March 22, 2020 TamaraTam
The Philippines has been facing serious problems in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The state has been locked down which caused additional problems for the whole nation.
The same works for Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) which have been ordered to cease any activity. Both Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and the Philippine Amusement and Gambling Corporation (PAGCOR) confirmed the previous measure.
More About Ban
According to the Nograles statement on March 17, Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators were ordered to stop operation in the country. He further indicated that gambling companies must adhere to the same order as other public bodies.
Despite the official ban, the association of Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators asserts that no official order has been received. For this reason, they continue the work from home setups.
The PAGCOR was clearer on March 18 when it issued the statement:
“The skeletal workforce at POGO operating sites are no longer allowed. Employees must remain in their places of the resident.”
POGO Activity
At the moment, Philippines gambling operators agree that all maintenance activities must be completed remotely. If personnel must physically preserve the equipment, they should seek permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force.
Reacting on the current situation, PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo said:
“Our situation right now is different. While revenue generation is important in our operations, the health and well-being being of every Filipino is our immediate priority. By practicing the health protocols recommended by our Health Department, we can all help curb, if not stop the spread of COVID-19.”
It is still not clear whether POGO should terminate all activities including those from home. PAGCOR stated:
“PAGCOR temporarily suspends POGO operations in Luzon.”
If we take previous words in their literal meaning, it would include all home activities.
POGO Interpretation
According to the opinion of Philippines local operators, the ban doesn’t apply to the entire operation but only physically shut down. They stated:
“To me, it seems this is directed to those who still are operating office-based. They cannot at all provide shuttle services for their employees. A hard no for them to operate.”
“This doesn’t affect us because our operations are done purely remotely. There’s no harm to our employees, plus we keep our livelihood.”
After the Philippines officials announced the complete quarantine, a lot of gambling operators switched to home-based ops. However, some are still without choice and have to face serious problems…
Source:
“PAGCOR orders POGOs to cease operations, but some won’t”, Derek Tonin, calvinayre.com, March 18, 2020.
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