Although China has called on Philippines to ban its offshore gaming industry, Philippine President Duterte does not intend to completely ban it.

He said the Philippine economy currently needs this industry because it offers many jobs.

Duterte said at the press conference of the presidential palace: “We decided to give priority to the interests of our compatriots. Perhaps politely, I will listen to Xi Jinping’s opinion, but I decided not to ban the industry. I think we need this industry, Without this industry, many people will lose their jobs.”

Although the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) employs some Filipinos, most of them employ Chinese citizens for mainland Chinese players. Philippine offshore gaming operators primarily provide marketing, customer service and technical support to online gambling sites by hiring Chinese employees.

Although the Philippine government says there are about 130,000 Chinese workers in the country, observers say the actual figure may be twice that.

Duterte said that “in any case” Philippine offshore gaming operators must be regulated by the government, apparently to ensure that China’s abuse of power will be stopped.

Then, he told online gambling operators to pay taxes to the government honestly, or face serious consequences.

Duterte pointed out that the Philippine offshore gaming operators also have a certain impact on the Philippine people’s livelihood, and its impact on the Philippine economy is mainly concentrated in the real estate industry. The demand of Chinese workers has prompted rents and housing prices to rise, which shocked Filipinos.

Philippine offshore gaming operators have also brought a lot of revenue to the government, and Pagcor expects the industry to provide license fees and royalties of 8 billion pesos this year.

At the same time, Duterte’s security consultants are also wary of Chinese workers working at offshore gaming companies.

These illegal workers were identified by the national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. as a potential security“threat”.

Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana raised the possibility that bookmaker employees might turn to espionage, especially since some gaming centers are located near military camps or police districts.

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