Asia
Indian High Court Denies Blanket Ban on Gambling
![Indian High Court Denies Blanket Ban on Gambling](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/indian-judge.jpg)
The Delhi High Court received a request to start banning online sites that promote games of skill such as rummy. The complaint came from Deepti Bhagat and Avinash Mehrotra, who claimed that such sites were enticing gambling and draining money to offshore accounts.
Online gambling, as such, is already illegal in India, and the Reserve Bank of India claims to have made every effort to prevent offshore transactions to such companies from being processed. That said, it is well known that many international casinos continue to accept Indian players and that Indian online roulette and slots sites do exist.
The entire complaint was brought before the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for examination. The result of that examination was the conclusion that the government is unable to regulate the operation of foreign companies or those hosted in other Indian states. In either case, the report also called for a more precise definition of games of skill vs games of chance, which have a blurry line dividing them.
The International Issue of Offshore Casinos
Offshore casinos, as they are called, are a problem for many countries that are trying to restrict gambling online in any way. While states are able to impose laws that will prohibit locals from starting online casinos and gambling sites within the country, not even the USA can regulate the operation of international websites, often situated in remote island states such as Panama.
Offshore casinos are granted licenses by local governments and are allowed to accept any players they choose, as such actions are not against the law of the country they are operating in. On the other hand, countries find it difficult to restrict play at such casinos as many are emerging with different domains, and the use of simple VPN software makes it next to impossible to prevent gaming.
The best most countries, including India, can do is prevent monetary transactions to the best of their ability. Yet, with so many different payment processors out there, even this becomes a nearly impossible task. Without restricting online trade altogether, restricting gambling transactions becomes very difficult.
Future of Online Gambling in India
Following the recent decision in Delhi, it remains likely that each of the Indian states will continue to regulate online gambling and online games of skill for itself. Online casinos are banned across the country in terms of hosting one, and this will likely remain such for years to come. We donât expect any Indian state to allow legal hosting of online casinos within India.
That said, numerous online casinos that are hosted offshore continue to accept players from India and other countries with gambling regulation, and nothing short of an international intervention would prevent this. Since these are private companies hosted in sovereign nations, such a development seems very extreme and unlikely.
As such, the best conclusion at this time is that the status quo will continue for a long time. International casinos will keep accepting Indian deposits, while locals will also be able to legally play games of skills such as rummy at dedicated sites, some of which are affiliated with proper online casinos.
Moves by specific individuals and groups to ban these sites altogether are also likely to continue, as it does seem reasonable that a developing country like India should limit the number of funds that are leaving the country for offshore accounts, but there appears to be little that can be done about it at this time.
Asia
PAGCOR BRAVES FLOODS TO HELP DISASTER-HIT COMMUNITIES
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PAGCOR-BRAVES-FLOODS-TO-HELP-DISASTER-HIT-COMMUNITIES_20240726_120712_0000.png)
At the height of the downpour and massive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces Wednesday, volunteer teams from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) started bringing relief packs to affected communities.
Classes and government work were suspended on Wednesday and Thursday due to the widespread flooding, but PAGCOR volunteers went into action nevertheless.
âEven at the height of the flooding, and even before the President ordered government agencies to provide assistance to affected communities, PAGCOR employees already went to action to help those in need,â PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said.
The PAGCOR chief said that since July 24, the agency has delivered more than 21,000 food and non-food relief packs for thousands of affected families.
âAfter the heavy rains subsided and it was safe to do so, we started bringing immediate aid to flooded communities in Caloocan City on Wednesday, followed by relief operations in Valenzuela, Malabon and Malolos, Bulacan the next day,â he said.
Mr. Tengco added that PAGCOR was scheduled to distribute relief goods to the cities of Marikina and Navotas on Friday as well as to affected towns in Bulacan like Calumpit and Bulakan which were all submerged in floodwater.
âIt has been second nature to PAGCOR to immediately respond to the needs of affected communities in times of disasters,â he said.
âWe understand that while it is part of our mandate to contribute to nation-building, it is also our moral obligation to help ease the plight of Filipinos in times when they need help the most,â the PAGCOR chief added.
He said PAGCORâs relief operations are ongoing, with more employees volunteering to help repack relief goods Saturday and Sunday in the agencyâs warehouse in Imus, Cavite to support distribution efforts in the coming days in Bataan, Batangas and Cavite.
Asia
AGTech Wins Lottery Terminal Supply Tenders for Shaanxi, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/4-9.jpg)
Lottery and integrated technology and services company AGTech Holdings Limited (AGTech) has announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has successfully won procurement tenders to supply lottery terminals to Sports Lottery Administration Centres in Shaanxi province, Zhejiang province and Jiangsu province of the Peopleâs Republic of China.
AGTech already has previous success in the China market, having won a bid in 2018 for supplying its new dual, touchscreen lottery terminals to the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Shanghai and Hebei.
Even before this, AGTech introduced new instant win games, launched in partnership with Chinese logistics firm SF Holdings across Shenzen, Nanchang, Changsha and Nanjing.
Asia
Philippine President Marcos Announces Ban on POGOs
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2-8.jpg)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has banned the establishment of any new Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), also known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), with immediate effect. Existing POGO operators will have until the end of the year to wind down their operations.
The verdict, not entirely unexpected, was delivered during his State of the Nation Address in Manila on Monday following widespread pressure from a Senate investigation into illegal POGO-linked activities.
âEffective today, all POGOs are banned. I hereby instruct [gaming regulator] PAGCOR to wind down and cease the operations of POGOs by the end of the year,â Marcos said in his SONA.
The decision to shut down POGOs follows a series of recent raids on illegal POGO compounds in Pampanga and Tarlac amid allegations they had been engaging in human trafficking and scam activities.
A full ban, proposed by multiple senators, had also gained the support of the Department of Finance (DOF) and the National Economic and Development Authority.
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