Philippines could revise gaming laws

A Philippine senator urged the Senate to assess a potential revision on both online and land-based related gambling laws.

Philippines.- Gambling legislation could change in the near future as Philippine Senator Leila de Lima has targetted local regulation. The lawmaker has urged the Senate to assess and ultimately revise laws that rule both online and land-based gaming in the country, after recent controversy surrounding the industry.

Senator de Lima introduced Senate Resolution N° 953, in which she accuses the gambling sector of making the Philippines more “susceptible to money laundering, fraud, and other illegal activities.” She referred to a case involving Wally Sombero, who handed bribe money over to two Bureau of Immigration officials in 2016.

In addition to her main accusation, Senator de Lima said the liberalisation of the gaming industry has raised “lingering questions” related to its social costs, despite its economic impact. She even addressed female Philippine dealers’ outfits, which she considered to be “revealing” and warned about the risk of sexual harassment and exploitation risks.