Philippines could ban individuals from casinos

The House is considering a legislation that would exclude individuals from casinos in the Philippines.

Philippines.- The House of Representatives of the Philippines is reportedly considering legislating the banning of individuals from casinos. As ABC CBN News reported, the House is also set to treat the policy of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) law.

The Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) is assessing new policies in order to avoid gambling addiction, and a report is expected to be passed to lawmakers by next week. The pushes come after the attack that happened inside the Resorts World Manila where 38 people were killed. The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that the security failed to execute a containment plan during the episode.

After today’s hearing, the joint probe that included the Committees on Public Order and Safety, Games and Amusement was terminated. Gus Tambunting, Games and Amusements Chair, confirmed that a review on the exclusion policy and the law on PEZA will be released as soon as next week. “Definitely we have to look at the policy of exclusion and we have to look also at the policy of the PEZA law,” he said.

PEZA’s law will be examined because some officials believe that the authority failed to do its work, as it said it didn’t have any responsibility to check if Resorts World Manila’s security was properly working or not. “Definitely we have to look at the policy of exclusion and we have to look also at the policy of the PEZA law. “They’re very very inconsistent and the PEZA, they would claim that is their power but when it comes to their responsibility, they would deny it. That cannot be. If it’s within your power, you should also take action and you cannot pass the buck to the PNP and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and this is where the confusion lies,” the official said.

Right before the meeting, Tambunting said that they have to renew the standards of security and look into the proposal to pass a security code for the country. “We need to make all the people safe in the Philippines,” he added. Earlier this month, a new casino regulation was introduced in order to charge an entry fee in gaming venues.