The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said it has tweaked its “Bingo for A Cause’’ program to help local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) raise more funds for their socio-civic programs.

PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Maria Teresa Ocampo said the state gaming agency has approved new packages that will allow LGUs and NGOs to earn as much as 50% share from proceeds of bingo events to be conducted with PAGCOR.

“The revised bingo package will give our partners the option to sell tickets from as low as Php100 to Php1,000 each, depending on the package that they choose,” she said. “The proceeds will even go higher depending on their ticket sales.”

Ocampo, who heads PAGCOR’s Bingo Department, said the ‘Bingo for A Cause’ project will also allow communities and organizations to enjoy the fun and thrill of bingo games in a lawful way while contributing to worthy causes.

“Like any game of chance, only PAGCOR has the mandate to authorize bingo activities, hence bingo games without PAGCOR’s permission are illegal,” she said.

“We thus remind our partner communities and organizations to first coordinate with PAGCOR’s Bingo Department if they plan to organize bingo events and explore partnership opportunities with us,” she added.

QTech Games, the leading game distributor for all emerging markets, has won the Online Casino Provider award at the annual SPiCE Philippines Awards 2024 in Cebu.

The Online Casino Provider of the Year celebrates the supplier or platform which has created or corralled the most innovative casino games tailored for the Asian igaming industry over the past 12 months. And QTech Games was again chosen by the judges to have superseded and surpassed an array of proven performers in this category, fending off strong competition from other leading lights, including international powerhouses and local champions.

This sought-after award is perennially given to the best overall online casino provider in the Asia space and is awarded at a coveted ceremony held at the Shangri-La Mactan. This Awards Gala forms part of a wider must-attend conference that showcases a dynamic mix of panel discussions, masterclasses and networking events which bring together sectoral leaders and pioneers in the Southeast Asian gaming and entertainment landscape.

More broadly, the SPiCE Philippines Awards judging panel voted on some of the most consequential categories of igaming activity, denoting progressive domains that are shaping the industry’s future across the region.

QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re naturally delighted to have walked off with another flagship award for the best digital casino provider – and we’ve also been promoting QTech Hybrid, our breakthrough retail solution, to great effect at the Shangri-La Mactan. It’s already been a great week.

“This win is a glowing tribute to our sedulous team at QTech Games, and to the constantly growing group of innovative suppliers that our platform represents. It’s a truly collaborative effort. We remain committed to rolling out high-quality content that drives revenue for our worldwide partners – from Asia to Africa, and Eastern Europe to LatAm.”

Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has proposed Senate Resolution 1193 to investigate the failure of local banks to detect POGO-related suspicious transactions tied to criminal activities, following the case of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Gatchalian, in his resolution, highlighted bank transactions involving Guo’s companies, which amounted to hundreds of millions of pesos and allegedly funded the construction of a POGO hub in Bamban. The amount far exceeded the financial capacity reflected in the companies’ financial statements.

He pointed out a significant increase in cash flows, check disbursements, and transactions involving Guo’s accounts, peaking in 2020—an anomaly given that the COVID-19 pandemic had severely disrupted businesses and economies worldwide.

Gatchalian noted that despite these large transactions, the banking system failed to flag them as suspicious. He raised concerns about the banks’ inability to report such dubious activities, questioning the effectiveness of their internal controls and procedures for identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour.

The senator emphasised that financial institutions are responsible for analysing financial data to detect transactions that may indicate money laundering.

These circumstances, according to Gatchalian, raise doubts about the adequacy of current Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) regulations and guidelines for banks and financial institutions.

Gatchalian also pointed out that the Philippines remains on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The country must improve its AML/CTF efforts, including prosecuting money laundering and terrorism financing, addressing beneficial ownership information and strengthening cross-border declaration measures.

While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed all government agencies to meet the necessary requirements to remove the country from the FATF grey list, Gatchalian stressed that private sector compliance is equally crucial to strengthening the country’s AML/CFT regime. This includes increased adherence to obligations, such as reporting covered and suspicious transactions.