Officials of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) led by Chairman Atty. Francisco Rivera, made a courtesy visit to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to strengthen inter-agency coordination in addressing game-fixing, illegal betting activities, and other emerging concerns affecting the integrity of professional sports in the country.
The meeting centered on possible areas of cooperation between GAB and PAGCOR, particularly in relation to the monitoring of suspicious betting patterns, unauthorized betting platforms, and the use of available regulatory mechanisms to support investigations involving alleged game-fixing activities.
In the meeting, Rivera emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity of professional sporting events and protecting public confidence in legitimate competitions.
“If there is a credible threat of criminal prosecution backed by solid evidence, players will begin torealize the importance of preserving the integrity of sports.
“Game-fixing poses a serious threat to professional sports. If there is a credible threat of criminalprosecution backed by solid evidence, players will begin to realize the importance of preserving theintegrity of sports so that the public may continue to trust the outcome of basketball games and othersporting events in the country,” he stated.
PAGCOR officials and representatives likewise shared insights on PAGCOR’s regulatory processes involving licensed sports betting operators, monitoring systems, and existing protocols concerning complaints and investigations involving betting irregularities.
Both agencies also discussed concerns relating to unauthorized online betting activities, illegal betting websites, and developments involving illegal online cockfighting-related operations being streamed abroad.
The coordination meeting reaffirmed GAB’s commitment to intensifying efforts against game-fixing and illegal betting activities, with PAGCOR expressing its full support for lawful and coordinated regulatory action consistent with its mandate.
