Are there too many regulatory agencies in the gaming industry?
Party-list group One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalized Nationals (1-Pacman) has gotten the ball rolling on a priority measure to make the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) “purely regulatory” – and transfer licensing powers in the hands of Congress.
House Bill No. 6111 seeks to turn Pagcor into the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Authority (Paga), which would consolidate all regulatory functions in the gaming industry.
The proposed Paga would be “purely regulatory in nature” and “not be an operator of games of chance,” according to the bill filed by Reps. Enrico Pineda and Michael Romero.
The bill strips Pagcor of its licensing powers and transfers the authority to Congress. Under the bill, all casino, gaming and gambling operators would be required to secure legislative franchises, just like public utilities.
Existing licensees authorized by current laws would be given one year to secure the franchise under the bill. Otherwise, such operations would become illegal.
The bill would transfer to Paga regulatory functions currently spread out among the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (Apeco), and other special economic zones.