The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the country’s gaming regulator, said the gaming industry’s regulatory framework must keep pace with advances in artificial intelligence, warning that the technology could strengthen compliance systems while also making fraud more sophisticated.
Jessa Mariz Fernandez, assistant vice president of PAGCOR’s Electronic Gaming Licensing Department, made the remarks during a keynote address at the CiG iDEA Summit in Manila on Monday, according to a statement from the regulator.
“The same technology that can help us detect fraud, identify unusual activity, improve compliance, and make regulatory processes more efficient can also be used to make fraud more sophisticated and harder to detect,” Fernandez said.
“The challenge, therefore, is not to resist technology. It is to ensure that our regulatory frameworks evolve alongside it.”
Fernandez said PAGCOR continues to review its policies, engage with legitimate industry stakeholders and strengthen coordination with other government agencies as technological risks become more complex.
The regulator also remains open to approaches that could make its oversight more responsive, she added.
“We cannot regulate tomorrow’s technology using only yesterday’s assumptions,” Fernandez said.
She said gaming regulation should remain responsive without becoming reactionary and should support innovation while continuing to protect consumers and legitimate businesses.
The future of online gaming will be shaped by technology, but regulation must preserve the integrity of the licensed market as new technologies, business models and risks emerge, she added.
Fernandez said regulators should not obstruct innovation but must ensure that it takes place in a fair, responsible and transparent market that maintains public trust.
