PNP laments Court of Appeals ruling on online gambling

MANILA, Philippines—Is online gambling beyond the reach of the country’s antigambling laws?

The head of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Thursday decried a ruling by the Court of Appeals junking illegal gambling charges against the operators of an online or virtual casino inside the Clark Special Economic Zone because of the lack of clear laws on the matter.

In a statement, Director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. expressed fears this might jeopardize efforts by authorities to curb online gambling operations. He urged lawmakers to pass more laws against cybercrime.

In its decision, the court noted that there was nothing in Presidential Decree 1602, or the anti-illegal gambling law, that would indicate that internet gambling or running an online casino was among the illegal acts penalized by the law.

He said the decision had a “far-reaching negative effect on the overall effort of the CIDG and other law enforcement units against online gambling operations.