PAGCOR responds to Beijing

The head of the offshore gaming regulator for PAGCOR has responded to Chinese allegations that Philippines’ licensed online gaming operators (POGOs) are deliberately targeting residents of China.  

Padilla was addressing concerns in Philippine Congress that Beijing — increasingly troubled by the threat of capital flight and money laundering — has finally lost its cool with the country’s POGO industry.

These comments come following a statement which was issued earlier this month from the Chinese Embassy in Manila, which denounced the POGOs, urging Philippine authorities to “take concrete and effective measures to prevent and punish” operators that accept customers located in China. 

It was the first time that Beijing had addressed the Philippine online gambling industry, which has thrived since it became licensed and regulated by PAGCOR in 2016. 

They alleged that 100,000 Chinese nationals were now working within the POGO and that this had been done to target the Chinese people. 

However, in relation to the accusations, Padilla suggested that perhaps they had been targeted but that this was more to do with a need for Mandarin speakers. 

“We are sure that a lot of players are Chinese, because we all know that there are a lot of Chinese people all over the world,” he said. 

“They claim that they are working like slaves. They were promised five meals a day, but they are provided with only three meals,” he said. “Despite their grievances, they are not returning to their homeland, apparently, because there are apparently no jobs for them there.”