Bishop Urges Governor to Act Against Gambling in Southern Luzon

BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES – In the Southern Luzon city of Lipa in the province of Batangas, Philippines, one man in a cassock is calling out to his governor to put a stop to the proliferation of gambling in the province.

Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, a Catholic bishop, has urged TV actress turned politician and now provincial governor Vilma Santos-Recto to act on the alarming continued existence of gambling in Batangas.

Arguelles is alarmed by the continued existence of jueteng, an illegal and underground numbers game of chance, and the proliferation of Small Town Lottery (STL) and is calling on Santos-Recto to personally act on these gambling activities in the province.

He further argued that by acting against all forms of gambling, Santos-Recto will dispel rumors that the local government tolerates the illegal numbers game. He also added that he is fighting against all forms of gambling be it legal or illegal following reports that the bishop was only after STL operators.

In a statement posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, Arguelles stated:

“If only the governor and the provincial PNP chief declared openly their opposition to gambling, then STL operators cannot accuse us of running only after them. As it is, advocates of the lottery accuse me of partiality in running only after STL and not after jueteng But that is not true. I am against gambling legal or illegal.”

STL is similar in nature to jueteng but is operated by the Philippine Charities and Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the national operator of lottery and sweepstakes in the Philippines.

Playtech, Intercash TransSend Offer Prepaid Card Payout Option

Leading games development company Playtech and prepaid card companies Intercash and TransSend have announced a deal whereby the latter’s co-managed prepaid card payout program will be integrated into Playtech’s gaming systems.

This will allow Playtech licensees to offer MasterCard branded prepaid cards as a payout option for customers using Playtech-powered casino systems. This also gives affiliates a new option for receiving their commissions.

Intercash and TransSend said that the prepaid card payout option increases customer satisfaction and ensures the loyalty of players thanks to instant access to winnings. With the MasterCard brand, the prepaid cards are usable with ATM worldwide, can be used for purchases at 26 million global locations as well as be used for online transactions.

“We are delighted to be working with Playtech, one of the leading gaming software providers, to deliver an improved service offering to their licensees,” said Richard Jones, TransSend CEO.“It is evidence of the revolutionary nature of this payout solution that we have linked up with a company with such a strong reputation in the gaming industry.”

“Intercash TransSend offers a market-leading payout product for the gaming industry from a provider that they can trust,” said Patrick Seguev, Intercash CEO.“We are excited to be working with Playtech to offer their licensees the ability to provide their customers with instant access to earnings. This offering is further enhanced by the compatibility, brand visibility and security that MasterCard brings.”

PhilWeb Reports Strong Half Year Results

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Publicly-listed gaming company, PhilWeb Corporation, reported positive profits for the first half of the year.

The gaming company, the lead technology aggregator of PAGCOR, reported a 78% increase in unaudited net income from the same period last year. First half earnings this year totaled P149.6 million pesos as compared to P84.2 million pesos over the same period last year.

PhilWeb attributed the growth to PAGCOR’s e-Games Cafe Systems which PhilWeb operates as well as from profits gained from the company’s investment in ISM Communications. Since December 2007, PhilWeb has opened 21 e-Games cafe upping the total it operates all over the country to 97.

PhilWeb’s revenues were also up 34% from last year for a total of P171.4 million. Average betting volume also increased to P150 million from last year’s P80 million and the number of customers to its cafe systems also experienced growth from a daily 25,000 to around 45,000.

RP’s Port Irene A-OK for Online Gambling: AmCham

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Following an inspection visit by a delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) to Port Irene in Sta. Ana, cagayan Province in the Northern Philippines last May, the AmCham reported that the controversial port should stick to online gambling.

Port Irene recently sparked controversy with its flourishing used-vehicle imports business in that part of the Cagayan province that has affected the Philippines’ local automotive industry. The AmCham, whose members includes Ford Philippines, sent a team in May to inspect the business and in a report submitted by the delegation it noted that Port Irene can focus on developing further its niche as an offshore gambling haven — for both operators and players.

“The Cagayan Export Zone (CEZ) Freeport appears to have good prospects to develop its new gambling business,” the AmCham report stated. “Gambling by Chinese visitors is growing at the CEZ Freeport. For the CEZ, its “Cybercity” project means “cybergambling.”

According to the report, closing the used-car business in Port Irene would have little impact in terms of employment because those unemployed can find work with any of the number of online gaming companies operating from the economic zone.

The Cagayan Export Zone Authority (CEZA) was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 7922 signed into law in 1995 which gave Port Irene, Sta. Ana, Cagayan the right “to operate on its own, either directly or through a subsidiary entity, or license to others, tourism-related activities, including games, amusements, recreational and sports facilities such as horse racing, dog racing, gambling casinos, golf courses, and others, under priorities and standards set by the CEZA.”

A number of foreign-owned gambling-related businesses have been in operation via a CEZA license and plans are currently underway to improve infrastructure to the economic zone including an international airport and the upgrade of fiber-optic cables to Hong Kong and Taiwan to improve the quality of internet connectivity.

New CMO at Multimedia Games

AUSTIN, TEXAS – NASDAQ-listed Multimedia Games announced that Ginny Shanks has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer.

Multimedia Games will benefit from Shanks’ over 25 years of gaming experience. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President of Brand Management for Harrah’s Entertainment where she was responsible for maximizing the marketing potentials of Harrah’s casino brands including Caesars, Harrahs and Horseshoe; and Harrah’s loyalty reward program Total Rewards in addition to the popular World Series of Poker.

Her role at Harrah’s also saw Shanks oversee sports and entertainment marketing, strategic alliances, consumer insights, PR and casino promotions which will be beneficial to Multimedia Games as the company continues to beef up its casino management team.

“Ginny has a well-deserved reputation as an innovative marketing leader,” said Anthony Sanfilippo, Multimedia Games President and CEO. “Throughout her career, she has developed mutually beneficial relationships with both customers and business partners alike.”

For her part, Shanks commented:

“Multimedia Games is a company with tremendous opportunities. It is my goal to continue to provide the highest level of products and service to our current customers while developing innovative strategies and building new relationships that will be the foundation for our long-term success.”