2019 has been an adventurous – if not tumultuous year – for the Philippine gambling industry. Between admonishments from neighboring China and the influx of migrants to President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on tax-evading Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and the local government’s questioning of the state-owned brick-and-mortar casino model, the market – while profitable – … Read more
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games – or SEA Games – are set to get underway on 30 November in Luzon, with the competition lasting through 11 December. And while Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is slated to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the real stars of the festivities will be the Philippines Men’s and Women’s … Read more
For the domestic gambling industry, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks in the Philippines. There are three major stories of note concerning the gaming landscape in the island nation, with some good news and some bad news. The Good Starting off with the good news, PAGCOR – the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation – … Read more
This past Thursday at 6:00 pm local time, every Philippine casino, betting parlor and restaurant in the islands aired the title bout between hometown favorite Nonito Donaire and Japanese up-and-comer Naoya “The Monster” Inoue. And though Donaire lost the fight and suffered a rare late-round knockdown courtesy of a vicious liver shot, it’s clear there’s … Read more
For the last several months, tensions have flared between China and the Philippines, with the former asking the latter to halt its online casino industry. Calls from inside the Philippines also supported a groundswell of change to the Filipino gambling community, with various lawmakers seeking to privatize and tax state-owned casinos. While neither initiative seems … Read more
Seemingly week to week, the gambling situation in the Philippines appears to change. Indeed, the politics of POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) and local gaming venues have lately been the biggest roller coaster in the country. For many of the parties involved, of course, the current landscape has been far from an amusement park. After … Read more
The current state of gambling in the Philippines – in all its guises – continues to be problematic, according to various interested parties in government and the private sector. In the midst of an ongoing row with China over Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the island nation also has the matter of industry compliance to … Read more
Despite ongoing disagreements with Beijing and a local enforcement initiative against tax-dodging Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the Philippines seem to be moving full speed ahead in embracing the burgeoning online gambling industry. From December 3-4, Manila will be hosting the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia. The scheduled venue for the convention is the Manila … Read more
The Philippines’ ongoing fight to collect taxes from delinquent online gambling operators continues apace. Last week, the Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corporation – the country’s second-largest Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator, or POGO – was shut down for tax dodging. Arnel Gubarra, the Deputy Commissioner of the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), laid out … Read more
Lately, there has been significant interest on the part of Philippine authorities to go after tax dodgers in the country’s online gambling industry. Despite the government rejecting China’s pleas to end its Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) industry, President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has followed through on a promise to better police POGOs throughout the country. … Read more