The Philippines recently exhibited a stark contrast in the gambling sector with a policy of "one ban, one promotion": The Baguio City Council, in its commitment to maintaining a "city with character," rejected RCC Global's application to open an electronic bingo (E-Bingo) business, while the Manila-based online entertainment platform Casino Plus hosted the "Angpao Rain Gala," distributing cash rewards totaling 180 million pesos to 600 video creators. This disparity underscores the Philippines' differentiated regulation of the gambling industry—cautious of social risks while exploring compliant entertainment avenues. President Marcos' recent decree to completely ban offshore gambling (POGO) further highlights the national regulatory baseline. Information on gambling policies and compliance cases in various Philippine cities can be referenced on the PASA official website.
Baguio City: Rejecting Gambling to Protect Image and Anchor Long-term Social Health
The decision by the Baguio City Council was not random but based on a deep consideration of the city's development vision and social welfare:
Core decision: Formally rejected RCC Global's application to open E-Bingo on Mabini Street, clearly refusing to rely on gambling revenue to drive city development;
Reasons for opposition: Pointed out that gambling activities like E-Bingo "exploit human weaknesses," detrimental to community building and sustainable development, citing the Philippine Supreme Court's stance that "bingo fundraising is not a long-term plan";
Alternative direction: Suggested promoting sports, volunteer services, and local cultural heritage activities as non-gambling activities, aligning with the city's "livable, inclusive, creative" 2043 vision (with Hangzhou as a sister city, the first to declare the Spring Festival as a local legal holiday);
Follow-up actions: Pushed for a review of the city-wide gambling business license renewal policy, encouraged the community to explore non-gambling fundraising methods, previously proposed to cancel the E-Bingo business in the basement of the Maharlika Livelihood Complex (pending due to a fire).
Casino Plus: Billion-Level Awards Inspire Creativity and Set Compliance Benchmark
Unlike Baguio City's "anti-gambling" stance, Casino Plus's event focused on compliant entertainment and creator incentives, setting a local record for prizes:
Event scale: Hosted the "Angpao Rain Gala" in Manila, with 600 creators participating in the award ceremony, unveiled by famous internet celebrity Sachzna Laparan, hosted by actress Phoebe Walker, with performances by artists;
Prize tiers (verified by official systems, transparently disclosed): ・Top 10 creators: each received 2 million pesos; ・90 excellent creators: each received 1 million pesos; ・200 potential creators: each received 200,000 pesos; ・300 participating creators: each received 100,000 pesos;
Long-term planning: Plans to continue creator events until 2026, information to be released through Casino Plus PH's official social media platforms, encouraging content innovation.
National Regulatory Context: POGO Complete Ban + Cross-border Risk Warnings
The dynamics of Baguio City and Casino Plus should be viewed within the framework of national gambling regulation in the Philippines:
POGO complete ban: In July 2024, President Marcos announced the "shutdown of all online gambling businesses targeting foreign gamblers," to be implemented by the end of 2024, noting that POGO fosters money laundering, kidnapping, human trafficking, and other crimes. As of the end of 2023, there were about 250-300 illegal POGOs (only about 40 legal ones), with PAGCOR initiating license cancellation;
Cross-border risks and warnings: The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has repeatedly warned that a large number of Chinese citizens have been lured into participating in illegal gambling in the Philippines, facing risks such as debt detention and personal threats. Since 2018, nearly 3000 individuals involved have been repatriated through joint law enforcement between China and the Philippines, and in 2023, 5 POGO parks were shut down with assistance;
Regulatory balance: The current ban only targets offshore gambling (POGO), while legal onshore gambling (such as Casino Plus's compliant activities) can still operate, reflecting a policy of "cracking down on illegal activities and regulating compliant ones."
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
