PAGCOR set to issue more POGO licenses?

The chief executive of the Philippines Gaming and Amusement Corp, Andrea Domingo, told delegates at the ASEAN conference this week that the regulator is planning to expand its offshore online gambling licensing program.

Domingo explained that the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) licenses had initially been restricted whilst Pagcor assessed its capability to handle the monitoring and regulatory responsibilities, but that she is now satisfied that the required levels of personnel and technical capability were available.

35 licenses were initially issued as part of a trialling period, she said, adding:

“Now we are reasonably confident that with our independent third party audit services and the probity checkers we can handle all of those who are applying.”

The number of applicants awaiting approval is currently 75, Domingo revealed, estimating that the new licenses would probably be issued in the first half of April this year.

Domingo said that a strict vetting regime was in place to meet Pagcor’s requirement for quality rather than quantity of licensees, saying:

“I think many of those who have been applying to us in this regard do appreciate the fact that we are trying to create a better image of the Philippines in the world by telling them that now we are going to have professional management and there won’t be any criminal activities that can be done in our casinos and in our online gaming stations.”

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