The Philippines’ largest online gaming operator, DigiPlus Interactive Corp, is urging for ‘balanced regulation’ rather than an outright ban on the sector, noting how a strict ban would drive players beyond the regulated market.
In a release on Wednesday, the company’s Chairman, Eusebio Tanco, noted that “We believe regulation is the path to player protection. It’s the only way to safeguard players, preserve jobs, and close the door on illegal, underground platforms that operate without any oversight”.
The company further highlighted that it supports ‘smart, balanced regulation that protects players, ensures industry accountability, and sustains the economic value generated by the legal online gaming sector’.
The statement comes as multiple politicians have launched bills that attempt to ban parts or the entirety of the online gaming sector, despite opposition voices calling for a more measured approach.
The main reasons cited are that online gambling causes harm, with DigiPlus indicating that it is furthering its safeguards to ensure not only compliance, but also proactivity.
Aside from its current measures, the operator notes that, this month it will ‘launch in-app community spaces to engage players in responsible gaming conversations and peer support’.
It furthers that ‘Across all its platforms, responsible gaming content is now featured more prominently than ever, not as fine print, but as part of the core user experience’.
Furthermore, the operator indicates that ‘DigiPlus urges policymakers to weigh the consequences of a total ban. The experience of other countries has shown that banning licensed platforms does not eliminate demand for online gaming, but merely shifts users to unregulated black markets where there are no protections, no taxes, and no accountability.
In contrast, a well-regulated environment can protect players, generate billions in government revenue, and sustain over 40,000 jobs across tech, marketing, entertainment, customer service, and compliance.’
