Bullish on exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, the Philippine government ordered 44 government agencies to update their policies. As a result, a number of authorities, including the PAGCOR, will be required to review their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) protocols.

Under a Memorandum Circular No. 37, issued by the Office of the President, government organizations will need to address the deficiencies that led to the Philippines’ inclusion in the FATF grey list.

For reference, the Philippines was included in the list back in 2021 for failing to properly counteract money laundering. The lax controls concerning casino junkets and the deficient information sharing between financial institutions were among the chief reasons for the greylisting.

The Memorandum Circular calls for urgent implementation of the National AML, CTF and Counter-Proliferation Financing Strategy (NACS) 2023-2027. In its announcement, the government emphasized its desire to crack down on fraud. The country hopes to exit the FATF grey list by January 2024.

The Philippines Hopes to Exit the FATF Grey List Quickly

The Memorandum prioritizes quick action, in accordance with the NACS and FATF’s International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) Action Plans. The Memorandum Circular also establishes an ML/TF NRA Working Group that will have nine subgroups dedicated to different aspects of the NRA.

The ML/TF NRA Working Group will be led by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMCL), which will also be responsible for issuing guidelines and coordinating with other departments, agencies and private sector entities. The announcement said that funding for the initiative would be allocated from relevant agency budgets, in accordance with the applicable regulations.

The Memorandum Circular takes effect immediately, attesting to the Philippines’ desire to exit the FATF grey list as soon as possible.

Earlier this month, China agreed to help the Philippines crack down on illegal offshore gambling. This followed a recent joint action between the two countries that led to the repatriation of 400 Chinese nationals.

Speaking of that, in September, China joined forces with ASEAN and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for a new initiative that seeks to combat transnational criminal activities.

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The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), the world’s largest betting integrity monitor, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on betting integrity with Lotería de la Ciudad, a regulatory body that oversees sports betting in the City of Buenos Aires.

Signed by Martín García Santillán and Federico Cattadori, Lotería de la Ciudad’s president and manager of gaming and betting control respectively, the memorandum establishes collaboration guidelines between the regulator and the IBIA.

According to the announcement, the agreement seeks to help the City of Buenos Aires improve its responsibility standards while discouraging fraud and match manipulation. To that end, the IBIA and Lotería de la Ciudad will exchange technical knowledge and information related to the sector’s integrity.

According to the IBIA, the alliance will benefit Lotería de la Ciudad because of the importance of information to the prevention and identification of fraud. 

IBIA Will Help Lotería de la Ciudad Combat Illicit Activities

Khalid Ali, IBIA’s chief executive officer, expressed his team’s delight to join forces with the Lotería de la Ciudad. He said that the IBIA is looking forward to working with the Buenos Aires regulator and protecting sporting events, consumers and betting operators from fraud and match-fixing.

The association and its members will analyze the betting on their global markets, which cover over $137 billion in sports betting revenue per annum, and work closely with the Lotería de la Ciudad to identify and investigate any suspicious betting activity.

Khalid Ali, CEO, IBIA

The MOU between the two parties highlights Lotería de la Ciudad’s recognition of the importance of cracking down on fraud. For reference, the IBIA has reported 9 suspicious betting alerts on Argentine sporting events between 2018 and 2022. This number represents 9% of all Latin American reports for the period.

The IBIA is an international non-profit organization whose task is to prevent fraud in the betting sector. Its members include almost 50 gaming companies and 125+ sports betting brands, including some that are licensed in the City of Buenos Aires. The members of the IBIA notably represent 50% of all the regulated commercial betting activity.

Two months ago, the IBIA welcomed several new LATAM-based members. Because of Brazil’s provisional measure requirements, a number of Brazilian companies joined the integrity body, KTO and Galera.bet included. Prior to that, the association also welcomed Metric Gaming, a UK-based company that holds licenses in Malta, the United Kingdom, and a number of US states.

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