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Duterte rejects China's call for Philippines to ban online gambling

Published 09/04/2019, 10:45 PM
Updated 09/04/2019, 10:50 PM
Duterte rejects China's call for Philippines to ban online gambling

MANILA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo
Duterte said on Wednesday that while he was not a fan of online
gambling he was unwilling to ban the business, as China has
called for, because of the harm that would do to the country's
economy.
Duterte, who backed the Philippine gaming regulator's move
in late 2016 to license internet gambling, said on Wednesday he
would not have allowed this "stupid activity" if there were
plenty of jobs available.
"We decide to benefit the interest of my country. I decide
that we need it," Duterte said in a televised news conference,
but gave a stern warning to online gambling operators not to
avoid paying their fees.
Online gambling companies, known as Philippine offshore
gambling operators (POGOs), are a boon for the local economy,
drawing many visitors from China, fuelling property demand and
retail spending.
The POGOs, which bar Filipinos from playing, contribute to
national coffers through license fees.
The Philippine gaming regulator has issued licences to 60
online gambling companies but on Aug. 19 banned licences for new
online gaming firms, as lawmakers and some ministers have called
for tighter controls on Chinese visitors, saying many are
illegal workers whose presence fans security concerns.
China said after that move that it hoped the Philippines
will go further and ban online gaming to support its crackdown
on cross-border gambling. The Philippine central bank and the anti-money laundering
body has been studying the scope of the online gambling industry
to determine the impact on the economy if it stopped operating.
Cambodia last month heeded China's plea to ban online
gambling, an industry that brought in Chinese investment but had
been used by foreign criminals to extort money.

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