Pagcor Online Bingo
Jun 30, 2020 Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has asked Facebook to take down illegal bingo games and online gambling preying on Filipinos. PAGCOR Chief Legal Counsel Roderick R. Consolacion warned Facebook Philippines against being used by the persons organizing the illegal bingo games and online gambling, to promote illegal activities. READ: Pagcor shuts 53 Leisure and Resorts e-games, e-bingo sites; Leisure & Resorts said the 20 sites that were allowed to reopen are located inside malls, arcades and hotels, which exempts them from distance requirements. Sixteen other e-Bingo sites remain closed.
The gambling regulator in the Philippines, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) urged social platforms to help combat illegal gambling in the country.
Citing reports that online activities of unlicensed operators have increased since the beginning of the health crisis induced by the coronavirus, the regulatory body claimed social media such as Facebook are among the platforms where illegal gaming operators promote their offering.
Social Media Promote Illegal Gambling
PAGCOR contacted Facebook and other social media platforms, offering them to collaborate with the regulator and the Philippine authorities to oust fraudulent activities from their platforms. The plea for collaboration comes after previous attempts from the regulator to protect the public and urge them to avoid gambling with illegal operators.
In June, PAGCORissued a warning to the Philippine citizens that persons and groups had been organizing illegal Bingo games using Facebook, noting that patronizing such schemes could easily fall prey to identity theft or credit card fraud.
The regulator also reiterated that participation in illegal gambling schemes classifies as a criminal offense, as it is illegal for any person or organization without a license to directly or indirectly take part in any unauthorized gambling activities, including online, internet or remote gambling.
Roderick Consolacion, chief legal counsel of PAGCOR, sent an official letter to Facebook, asking the social media to act immediately against such illegal activities or risk being perceived as aiding and abetting them.
Collaboration with the Police and Financial Institutions
According to PAGCOR, efforts of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) have led to one illegal online bingo operation being shut down and a number of others currently being under surveillance.
In addition to collaboration with the police, PAGCOR outlined it would request assistance from the central bank of the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of the country. The regulator would look for assistance to investigate banks, remittance services and payment solutions that are being used by illegal gambling companies.
“While illegal gambling per se is not among the predicate crimes of money laundering, frauds and swindling are. These are based on the act of taking bets from the public by falsely representing that they have a legitimate business, when in fact, they have no such authority.”
PAGCORIn May, the Philippine gambling regulator restored the offshore gambling industry in the country, looking to help generate funds to go towards government needs in the fight against the coronavirus. Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) were allowed to resume business, having been shut down since March 18, but operations at a reduced capacity, 30% of total staff, were only allowed as PAGCOR stressed on the importance of safety for their employees.
Online gambling, including bingo, is legal in the Philippines, although the environment can be complicated sometimes. Like in the US, national agencies in the Philippines, such as the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Pagcor, tasked with overseeing online gambling in the country, has its rules. However, all types of gambling in the Philippines are well regulated.
The Current Situation
Currently, there’s a licensing system in place to ensure only legit online casinos open their shops in the Asian country. Consumers can therefore play bingo easily and legally, without worrying about losing their hard-earned money. Even though the rules may press hard on casinos willing to introduce bingo in their packages, it’s easier for the consumers to enjoy the game. There are a number of sites where you can enjoy your favorite games online, but if you want to play some bingo games and you are looking for the best bingo sites in the Philippines, you can find them in online-casinos.com.
Pagcor’s Public Warning Over Illegal Gambling
With the increasing use of technology, individuals have found ways of making some extra income online. Some have started teaching classes online, some have been giving cooking lessons, while others have been more focused on scamming internet users. On that note, with online gambling evolving, a few ill-minded individuals in the gambling sector want to reap what they never sow. For the better part of 2020, a few online gambling sites were luring and conning unsuspecting consumers. This triggered a public outcry, forcing the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to issue a public warning against these individuals and companies that had started illegal Bingo games on Facebook.
In their statement, dated July 2020, Pagcor asked the public not to fall victim to such schemes as they would be prone to identity theft as well as credit card fraud. The regulation body also mentioned that betting on such sites was illegal, and consumers transacting with these illegitimate sites would face the law.
According to Pagcor, it’s illegal for an unlicensed person or organization to directly or indirectly participate in unauthorized gambling activities, especially internet, online, or remote gambling. The regulator further stated that they are committed to prosecuting persons involved in illegal online business because of its strong link to other crimes such as money laundering, credit card fraud, and identity theft, among other crimes.
What POGOs’ Role in This?
The Philippine government had banned its citizens from playing online games such as bingo, even though the country is one of the world’s wealthiest countries from the proceeds of internet casino operations. Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, also known as POGOs, an umbrella of several online gambling organizations, is a massive tax generator to the Philippine economy. Many gamblers turned to online gambling after the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the closing of casino shops. Some of them went virtual under POGO.
Nearly all forms of gambling are banned in China, and that’s where POGOs come in. There are sixty entities under POGO, all licensed by PAGCOR to conduct online gambling, including bingo, targeting their Chinese clientele. Some publications state that POGO is President Rodrigo Duterte’s money magnet. Judging by the politics, there’s so much uncertainty about whether playing bingo in the Philippines is legal or illegal. Well, according to PAGCOR, it’s legal as long as the online gambling site is licensed to operate and Filipino consumers gamble on legitimate sites.
How to Win in Bingo
Bingo uses a different approach to gambling. It’s won by filling bingo cards. The first participant to fill a card in a particular way takes the money. You can continue the game even after the first winner to allow another person to win, depending on the organization of the game. The rules may be different, including how to play the game and also to fill the card.
Free Pagcor Online Games
The classic version of bingo works entirely differently. The player must fill a row of a column to win, while in other versions, the player can fill the entire card. Yet, there’s another version where to be a winner, you have to find s single correct value and another where a player may be required to fill a predetermined pattern in the card.
The Basic Strategy of Playing the Game
Pagcor
Bingo is a game where you win by luck, and you know how hard it is to get lucky. In bingo, the player cannot influence the outcome of the game. The winner can be just anyone and a different person in the next round. The player cannot predict the likelihood to emerge numbers, make mathematical models, count cards, or do anything sinister to win. There’s no talent here or being gifted with bingo.
All patterns are coincidental, and there’s no underlying logic here, just the rules and players doing their thing with their hopes high. The cards are random and impossible to alter. The only thing a player can do to increase their odds and have a slightly upper hand is to buy more bingo cards.
What are the Rules?
Playing bingo is simple. It’s played by drawing cards that have values and then drawing other random values using balls, cards, or lottery. Each time a value is drawn, participants who have the same in their card mark it. The first to fill the card amongst them wins.
Bingo dates hundreds of years, and therefore, you can find a variety of bingo types with different or contradicting rules. One is the U Pick’EM Bingo, where players get to choose the numbers, they are targeting. There’s also the Quick Shot Bingo, where bingo cards are like lottery tickets, and the numbers are pre-drawn. Bonanza Bingo is also another form of bingo. All these are popular in the Philippines.
Bingo’s Popularity in the Philippines
Bingo is the most popular form of gambling in the Philippines. It was popular even before casinos emerged in the country. There are several bingo shops around the country, and some online and televised outlets are available.
However, several alternatives include sports betting, poker clubs, and the booming casino industry. There are some restrictions to gambling in the Philippines, but it remains a popular activity.