CICC intensifies crackdown on illegal e-gambling sites

MANILA, Philippines — Sound judgement favors the imposition of stricter regulations on internet gaming as a more prudent course of action for all stakeholders, rather than pursuing a total ban, an official of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said.

The CICC, an agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology, is presently on its full swing purge of illegal online gambling sites.

CICC Deputy Executive Director Atty. Renato Paraiso said an absolute ban of the internet gaming will push even the licensed and regulated platforms to go off-grid which, by then, will take a protracted hide-and-seek law enforcement to catch them.

The CICC official also said that revenue in billions of pesos for government projects and jobs for thousands of Filipino workers are important considerations that must also be factored in against the total internet gaming ban.

Paraiso emphasized that putting in place a clear guardrails for online gambling would be the shared responsibility of all stakeholders — the regulators, internet providers, platform operators, parents — to protect minors and prevent addiction.

He stressed that currently, the CICC is on tract in its mission to suppress the proliferation of illegal internet gambling sites. “With the help of the concerned public and our partners in law enforcement, the CICC is inching its way to the total eradication of the illicit cyber gaming platforms,” said Paraiso.

Citing the recent accomplishment of CICC, Paraiso said the agency has significantly escalated its efforts to dismantle illegal internet gambling networks across the country, leading to the arrest of foreign nationals, the seizure of fraudulent digital infrastructure, and the closure of several offshore gaming hubs masquerading as legitimate enterprises.

Last March 19, the CICC, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, reportedly led a major operation in Makati City that resulted in the arrest of 131 individuals, including 96 foreign nationals. The suspects were caught operating an illegal online gambling platform under the front of a software service provider. Digital forensic evidence, including mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, IDs, and company documents, were confiscated on-site.

The CICC also played a vital role in the February 16 arrest of three Chinese nationals in Santa Rosa, Laguna, who were linked to an illegal gambling and online prostitution syndicate. 

The operation, also conducted with the BI and PAOCC, reportedly targeted high-risk foreign nationals in non-Metro Manila regions, reinforcing CICC’s extended operational coverage.

As part of sustained efforts since the beginning of 2025, the CICC has supported cybercrime intelligence operations that led to the arrest of at least 5,099 individuals involved in cyber-related crimes from January to mid-June 2025. A significant portion of these arrests reportedly involved former personnel of illegal gambling networks previously associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. Of those arrested, 608 individuals were caught through entrapment operations, with 116 already convicted, according to coordinated agency reports.

The CICC also continues to expose and block infrastructure used by illegal gambling syndicates, including SIM card fraud and unregistered e-wallet operations. This supports its broader mandate under the Cybercrime Prevention Act to disrupt online-based criminal activity, particularly those exploiting digital channels to operate clandestine gambling enterprises.