MANILA, Philippines- Nagbabala ang Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) na ang pagpapatupad ng total ban sa overseas gaming operations ay maaaring maging sanhi ng pagsasagawa ng underground operations.
Sinabi ni Alejandro H. Tengco na maaaring magdulot ng problema ang pagbabawal sa Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), dating kilala bilang Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).
“If this happens, it would become harder for us to monitor them, and the number of illegal operators would grow and pose a bigger headache to our law enforcement authorities,” pahayag ni Tengco.
“On top of these, the government will lose potential revenues of more than P20 billion annually, without any guarantee that illegal activities will stop,” dagdag niya.
Naniniwala si Tengco na kapag ipinagbawal ang lehitimong operators, magtatago lamang sila at ipagpapatuloy ang kanilang operasyon nang hindi namo-monitor ng gobyerno.
“We have no guarantee that, once we ban the legitimate operators, they will simply close shop and return to their countries of origin where they are likely to face prosecution and jail, or worse,” wika ng oisyal.
“So they will just go underground here in the Philippines and continue operating,” anang Pagcor chief. “Worse, they could join those who are engaged in illegal activities like scamming, hacking and other cybercrimes, which would cause bigger problems to us.”
“Once they are underground, we lose control over them,” giit ni Tengco.
Sa kabila nito, sinabi ni Tengco na rerespetuhin ng gaming regulator ng pamahalaan anuman ang maging desisyon ng Kamara sa isyu.
“It is the prerogative of our lawmakers to outlaw IGLs, if they believe it will solve our problems.
“However, for us, the real problem are the criminal syndicates masquerading as POGOs. It is only through intensified law enforcement and the cooperation of all sectors that we would be able to address the problem of criminality,” sabi ni Tengco. RNT/SA
