2 PEOPLE CAUGHT OPERATING ILLEGAL ONLINE GAMING SITE

Twelve people suspected of involvement in illegal online gaming operations were arrested today, February 16, in an exclusive Parañaque City subdivision after a month-long surveillance, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the arrests were made by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP) together with the PAGCOR monitoring team.

“The raiders were armed with a warrant to search, seize and examine operations of computer data against the suspects who were caught red-handed while operating the illegal online gaming platform https://www.tbb888.com or the Big Bet,” Chairman Tengco said.

The illegal gaming site has been operating games like slot machines, live casino, e-sports, among others. Authorities seized from the suspects eleven computer sets, 21 mobile phones, 2 ipads, 6 laptops and flash drives, according to the PAGCOR chief.

Onsite examination revealed that the confiscated gadgets contain evidence of the group’s illegal online activities, said PAGCOR Senior Vice President for Security and Monitoring Cluster Raul Villanueva.

The raid was conducted inside BF Northwest Subdivision, an affluent enclave whose residents include some of the most prominent political and business leaders in Parañaque.

Mr. Villanueva said cases will be filed against the suspects before the Parañaque Regional Trial Court.

“The operation was part of our unified efforts to intensify the fight against illegal online gambling because we have a marching order from PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco to put a stop to these illegal activities,” Mr. Villanueva said.

“We will continuously collaborate with law enforcement authorities such as the PNP and even the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to put a stop to these,” he said.

“We advise the public to stop patronizing illegal online gaming sites and instead play on legal platforms to protect themselves. Unfortunantely, most of the victims of these illegal sites are Filipino bettors.

“We are also working closely with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center under the Department of Information and Communications Technology because we have a lot more targets under surveillance,” he added.

According to Mr. Villanueva, close to 5,000 illegal online gaming sites were operating in the country at one time but 80% of these were already blocked.

“We need to consistently monitor and report them to authorities not only to protect the bettors but to also ensure that revenues from regulated gaming are channeled back to the government for its nation-building programs,” he said.