Aligned with the national policy of preventing the country from being used as money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) site, the government has expanded anti-money laundering laws to cover casinos, including internet and ship-based casinos.
To implement the inclusion of casinos under the coverage of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) together with PAGCOR and other Appropriate Government Agencies (AGA) jointly promulgated the Casino Implementing Rules and Regulations (CIRR) of RA No. 10927.
Following the government's fight against ML/TF, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) created PAGCOR Anti-Money Laundering Supervision and Enforcement Department (PASED) to set out and enforce effective Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework in the casino industry which comprises a wide range of supervisory actions that include preventive measures, related sanctions and other remedial actions that PASED can apply.
Currently, the three (3) main areas of PASED's effort to protect the integrity of the casino industry against ML/TF are as follows:
1. Policy Development, Implementation and Review – Undertake research and analysis to develop policies and plans in consultation/coordination with the AMLC, other local and international counterparts and casino operators.
2. Casino Industry AML/CFT Risk Assessment – Designed to assist casino operators in carrying out their institutional ML/TF risk assessment.
3. On-site Inspection and Off-site Examination – On-site inspections are conducted to ascertain that casino operators are compliant with the AML/CFT framework. Off-site examination entails reviewing and analysing ML/TF Prevention Program (MTPP) and other pertinent reports submitted by the casino operators.