Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission partners with cybercrime agency to tackle illegal igaming

Ziv Chen

17 March 2026 at 7:01am UTC-4

Source: Shutterstock

Email, LinkedIn, and more

The Philippines’ Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission has entered an agreement with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center as part of a crackdown on offshore gambling networks.

The cybercrime agency has been tasked with building case files to support prosecutions and conducting digital forensic investigations tied to organized groups.

Article continues below ad

“[The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center] is mandated with the preparation to establish a case build-up against and prosecution of organized crime groups,” Aya Macalma, Head of Communications at the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, told the Philippine News Agency.

The agency is also leading efforts to block illegal gambling websites and related online content.

The partnership follows earlier coordination efforts with law enforcement and regulators, including the National Police–Anti-Cybercrime Group and the gambling regulator PAGCOR.

Article continues below ad

Authorities have said that the focus of their operations is linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators, which have been associated with organized crime.

In a statement, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said, “Authorities are urged to exercise extreme vigilance to apprehend the threat actors that are now pooling resources to execute cybercrimes, including operating POGO hubs and illegal online gambling.”

Earlier this month, the agency announced a partnership with civil society group Digital Pinoys to help verify illegal gambling platforms and their promoters.

View Ziv Chen's bio and articles.

Locations:

Verticals:

Casino

Sectors:

Topics:

Dig Deeper

The Backstory

How the latest partnership fits the pattern

The agreement between the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center does not come out of the blue. Philippine authorities have spent months tightening coordination among police, regulators and civil society to combat a fast-evolving online gambling economy that often blurs lines between licensed operators and criminal syndicates. The cybercrime agency’s expanding role in case build-ups, digital forensics and website blocking reflects an escalation from ad hoc raids toward a more systematic model aimed at dismantling networks, not just seizing terminals.

In parallel, the state gambling regulator has been trying to channel play toward vetted platforms. Earlier this year, PAGCOR introduced a public verification portal designed to steer consumers away from fly-by-night sites. The regulator said the new PAGCOR Guarantee would offer a frequently updated list of licensed companies and direct links to their pages, positioning it as a frontline defense against fraud and scams. That initiative, described in detail when PAGCOR launched a site to tackle illegal gaming, underscores the government’s effort to pair enforcement with consumer tools that raise the cost of operating in the shadows.

The latest interagency pact builds on those tracks. It couples traditional policing with cyber forensics while complementing measures that help players verify who is legitimate. It also signals that authorities see offshore operators not as isolated actors but as nodes in broader organized crime schemes that exploit social media reach, payment platforms and cross-border hosting.

From influencers to indictments: tightening the domestic net

The cybercrime agency has already tested tactics it will now scale. In recent weeks, its threat monitoring team, working with the advocacy group Digital Pinoys, flagged dozens of high-reach social media accounts that allegedly promoted unlawful gambling sites. Officials said they had identified 30 influencers and would seek takedowns and pursue cases under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, anti-illegal gambling decrees and fraud provisions. The agency hinted that evidence could point to a larger conspiracy. That push, detailed when investigators identified 30 influencers promoting illegal online gambling, previewed the blend of monitoring, public pressure and legal action that the new partnership aims to standardize.

PAGCOR has also stressed that deterrence cannot rest on seizures alone. At a regional regulators’ forum, the agency outlined plans to elevate player education, operator training and public outreach, arguing that technology, crime and social fallout have created a “perfect storm” for the sector. The framework calls for mandatory staff certification to spot problem gambling, joint work with police and financial watchdogs, and focused campaigns about the risks of illegal play. The approach, described when PAGCOR said it would focus on education to tackle illegal gambling sites, seeks to narrow the demand side that rogue platforms depend on.

Taken together, the Philippines is pushing a two-lane strategy: a harder edge on enforcement through interagency casework and cyber tools, and a softer lane of public guidance to blunt recruitment by illicit operators. The partnership formalizes that mix at a time when online gambling has gone mobile, making both detection and persuasion more urgent.

Regional moves show the playbook is spreading

The Philippines is not alone in treating illegal igaming as a cyber-enabled crime problem rather than a niche vice. In Hyderabad, India, cyber police recently removed 124 social media accounts running 539 paid ads for unlawful gaming and betting apps, targeting users with bonuses and referral payouts. Investigators are tracing the money flows and warned that online betting is banned in Telangana. The operation, detailed after India’s cyber crime police took down illegal online gambling advertisements, echoes Manila’s emphasis on dismantling digital marketing funnels and cutting off promotion at the source.

Those actions point to a common regional challenge: enforcement agencies are learning to police not just the gambling platforms but the promotional ecosystems that feed them. As platforms multiply and affiliates move across chat apps, short video sites and private groups, the burden shifts to cyber units with the tools to trace accounts, financial conduits and hosting footprints across jurisdictions.

Beyond borders: organized crime pressures the market

The risks are not limited to Asia. In the United States, New Jersey’s attorney general charged 14 people in a case alleging a Mafia-connected sports betting ring that ran a national web of sportsbooks and laundered proceeds. Prosecutors said members recruited bettors, including student athletes who helped manage books, to enrich the enterprise. The case, outlined when New Jersey charged 14 in connection with an organized crime sports betting ring, shows how illegal wagering can become a vector for corruption and money laundering even where regulated markets exist.

Those allegations highlight the stakes for regulators and leagues. U.S. baseball and sportsbooks responded to integrity concerns with stricter bet limits on pitch outcomes. In Asia, lawmakers have moved to constrict offshore hubs accused of trafficking and cyber scams behind a veneer of online gaming. For the Philippines, the association between certain offshore operators and organized groups raises reputational and security concerns alongside lost tax revenue.

Why the stakes are rising for Manila

The government’s core worry is that illegal platforms drain public coffers, compromise consumers and give cover to wider crimes. Each element of the current response addresses a failure point. The cybercrime agency’s role in digital forensics targets encrypted communications, server logs and payments that once eluded conventional raids. PAGCOR’s verification portal reduces the information gap that illicit operators exploit with cloned brands and fake licensing badges. Education campaigns are meant to curb the social media churn that converts casual viewers into bettors.

The recent focus on influencers underscores how distribution has changed. A single creator with millions of followers can drive sign-ups at scale, often across borders. That is why Manila’s partnership structure matters: the commission can prioritize organized crime targets while the cyber unit pursues the digital sprawl that sustains them. The goal is to turn one-off arrests into prosecutable conspiracies and to make it harder for banned sites to simply rebrand and reappear.

What to watch next

Results will hinge on execution. Three markers stand out. First, whether courts uphold cases built on cyber evidence and influencer promotions, setting precedents for future prosecutions. Second, whether PAGCOR’s portal gains traction with players and search engines, steering traffic toward licensed brands and away from copycats. Third, whether cross-border cooperation deepens so takedown requests, payment blocks and extraditions can keep pace with operators who hop jurisdictions.

If those pieces align, the Philippines could narrow the space for illegal online gambling even as digital play expands. If not, enforcement may remain a whack-a-mole exercise. For now, the government is betting that a fused approach — cyber intelligence, public verification and education — can reset the odds.