The surge in online gaming where bets can be placed through mobile phone apps means that “there is now a casino in every Filipino’s pocket,” Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said.
Escudero made the remark as he called on the government to conduct a wide-ranging financial and social audit of these internet gambling platforms.
According to the Senate chief, such easy access to these online gambling apps should prompt state regulators to conduct a “social cost-state benefit” analysis on the activities of Philippine Inland Gaming Operators or PIGOS.
The government, he said, should use the same accounting it used in assessing and outlawing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) on PIGOs.
“What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. An anomaly does not cease to be one because Filipinos are doing it,” Escudero said.
“I would like to see government practice the same attention to detail in assessing PIGO as it did with POGO. Hindi ba lahat ng ahensya ng pamahalaan (Did all the government agencies) went granular in studying the impact of POGOs on our society)?” he pointed out.
The Senate leader said his office has received reports from industry insiders that the total online bets could reach between P600-billion and P1-trillion a year, or more than double the reported gross annual sales of a popular fast-food chain in the country.
In weighing social costs, Escudero said it is imperative for the government to ensure that the evaluation of PIGOs will “go beyond counting pesos and cents.”
“Hindi ba addictive ang mga apps ito na pati ang pera pampagkain ng pamilya o pang gatas ng bata ay itataya na lang (Isn’t it true that these apps are addictive and that instead of the money being used to buy food for family or milk for children would just be used for betting)?” he pointed out.
“At hindi ba totoo na ang tao na sa sugal nagigipit ay sa krimen at kalokohan kakapit (And isn’t it true that a person who is driven by gambling is more likely to resort to crime and foolishness)?” he noted.
While physical casinos can flag underage entrants to their facilities, Escudero also noted that nothing bars “a grade schooler to log into a PIGO account.”
Once the Senate’s inquiry on PIGOs is underway, Escudero said he expects data on “tax payments of PIGOs, the ownership structure, the share of the government, police reports on crimes that addicted gamblers had committed to come light.”
He said a new accounting of the entire gaming industry is in order to determine the true picture as to how much bets do Filipinos place in a year.
“Ang nakikita lang kasi natin ay ‘yung gross revenues, net income ng mga gaming and gambling firms. Pero dapat ilabas ang total na taya na inilalagak ng mga Pilipino across the board and in all platforms (What we are just seeing are the gross revenues, net income of gambling and gambling firms. But we need to see the total number of bets Filipinos place on it across the board and in all platforms),” he said.