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40 FOREIGN NATIONALS IN ANGELES CITY RESCUED DURING ILLEGAL POGO RAID
A total of 40 foreign nationals working in an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) company in Angeles City, Pampanga were rescued on September 17, 2022 by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
According to DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos, the rescue operations was a result of the inter-agency commitment among PAGCOR, DILG, Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to put an end to the POGO-related kidnappings and human trafficking cases in the country.
Alongside the rescue of foreign workers, PAGCOR and DILG formally ordered the closure of the illegal POGO establishment in Angeles City.
The rescued POGO workers will be turned over to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for the checking of their documents and working permits.
Earlier today, PAGCOR also revoked the license of a POGO service provider in Pasig City – the Crimson Tulip BPO, Inc. – following the rescue of over 100 kidnapped and illegally detained POGO workers in Cainta, Rizal.
The NBI together with the BI led the operations after they received a call from the Chinese Embassy, requesting for the rescue of Chinese nationals.
The NBI reportedly rescued 70 Chinese, 16 Vietnamese, two Taiwanese, one Malaysian and 44 Filipinos who were allegedly forced to work in a fraudulent online POGO operations.
PAGCOR said that the license revocation of Crimson Tulip BPO, Inc. shows the state-run gaming firm’s commitment to help address all illegal POGO-related kidnapping cases, as these put the legitimate POGO operations in a bad light.
Since PAGCOR regulated the POGO operations in 2016, the industry helped the state-run gaming agency’s revenue generation efforts. Aside from this, regulated POGO operations created a multiplier effect on the revenues of various industries such as the real estate, food, transportation, construction, and telecommunication, to name a few.
Likewise, POGO-related taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue help the government’s revenue collection program.
But amidst recent reports on kidnapping and human trafficking involving POGOs, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said earlier that if POGO-related crimes in the country are not abated, the consequences may affect even the legitimate POGO operators.
On September 14, 2022, PAGCOR organized an inter-agency meeting with the DILG, DOJ, PNP, and the NBI to address the cases of kidnapping and human trafficking related to illegal POGO operations in the country.
The DILG, which has already started a crackdown against human trafficking, gave the PNP and other participating agencies a timeline of two weeks to abate all POGO-related illegal activities in the country.

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Poppleston Allen bolsters Gambling Team with specialist commercial law consultant
Leading licensing law firm Poppleston Allen is delighted to announce that betting and gaming industry stalwart Tom Grant is joining their Gambling Team as a consultant solicitor, bolstering its offering by advising on commercial contracts.
Tom has more than 20 years of experience in the gambling sector and has advised high-profile clients including Buzz Bingo, Cowells-Arrow, FSB and GAN as well as numerous growing businesses within the sector. Tom will work with the Gambling team drafting, negotiating, and advising on a range of commercial agreements that are essential to the growth of our clients’ business, such as sponsorship agreements, game development agreement, sports data rights licences, content licensing, platform agreements, affiliate terms, white-label agreements and customer terms and conditions.
Partner and department head Nick Arron comments: “I’m really looking forward to working with Tom. We’ve had a number of clients in common for years and our legal practices complement each other nicely. Tom’s expertise and understanding of regulatory frameworks and commercial challenges are fairly unique within the gambling sector, and allows us to offer additional services to our clients and reflects the opportunities we see in the gambling industry.”
Tom Grant said: “This is a great opportunity for both of us. The team has an outstanding reputation in the sector, and I look forward to contributing my expertise to help clients navigate the complexities of commercial agreements and achieve success in a competitive and dynamic market.”
Alongside his work with Poppleston Allen, Tom will continue to grow his own practice at Grant Legal.
The post Poppleston Allen bolsters Gambling Team with specialist commercial law consultant appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Altenar integrates Optimove’s Opti-X platform to deliver enhanced personalised content
Leading sportsbook technology provider adds dynamic layouts, real-time messaging and flexible experimentation tools
Altenar, a leading sports betting and iGaming software provider, has integrated Optimove’s Digital Experience Platform (DXP), Opti-X, to help operators boost engagement, personalisation and lifetime value from a player’s first visit.
Optimove’s DXP offers a Real-Time Messaging feature which allows operators to automatically trigger personalised messages across all marketing channels at the most opportune moments, ensuring timely and relevant communication that keeps players engaged.
Opti-X includes a Smart Search Engine powered by AI, which delivers lightning-fast, personalised search results. The engine tailors results based on a player’s past search history, platform behaviours, and betting preferences.
Altenar can now also offer more advanced end-to-end personalisation across all channels and platforms. Opti-X’s behavioural, historical, and predictive modelling equip operators to create detailed micro-segments, which promise more personalised interactions, fostering loyalty and increasing player value over time.
This strategic integration underscores Altenar’s commitment to continuously improving its offering and delivering innovative, player-centric solutions that have a significant impact for sports betting operators.
Diego Salas, Sales Manager at Altenar, said: “We are committed to enhancing the user experience and leveraging data to provide personalised content that offers clear benefits both to players and operators. Our partnership with Optimove allows our clients to better understand player behaviour and tailor their content to optimise their offerings and marketing messages.”
Adi Dagan, Senior Director of Partnerships at Optimove, said: “Altenar is a clear breakthrough leading sports betting software provider and being part of their solution is a true honour. This partnership is a boon for sports betting operators to ensure incredible personalised experience for each player. These are incredibly exciting times for online sports betting as we get to partner with an innovator like Altenar to take the industry to the next level.”
The post Altenar integrates Optimove’s Opti-X platform to deliver enhanced personalised content appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions
The Danish Gambling Authority has called attention to FATF’s (Financial Action Task Force) updated lists of high-risk jurisdictions: the Grey List (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) and Black List (call for actions). Among other things, gambling operators must include FATF’s lists of high-risk jurisdictions when assessing players’ risk.
Jurisdictions listed on the Grey List are Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Croatia, DR Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.
Jurisdictions listed on the Black List are Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran and Myanmar
Gambling operators are required to conduct enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) pursuant to section 17(1) of the Danish AML Act, if a player is assessed to impose a higher risk of the gambling operator being misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.
Gambling operators shall conduct this risk assessment based on Annex 3 to the AML Act (high-risk factors) which includes the FATF high-risk country lists (the so called black list and grey list)
It is not required that gambling operators perform EDD if a country is listed on the FATF’s list. EDD are only a requirement for players from jurisdictions listed in the EU Regulation of High Risk Third Country list pursuant to. 17(2) of the AML Act.
The post Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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