House plans P100,000 fine for gov’t men caught in casinos

The House committee on games and amusements is looking at a P100,000 fine for government officials and employees, as well as soldiers and police officers, who are caught gambling in a casino.

The panel on Wednesday discussed measures to fine-tune House Bill No. 3535, or the proposed Casino Ban Act, which would ban government personnel from gambling establishments.

A technical working group headed by Pambansang Bayaning Atleta Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar was created to improve the bill filed by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo. Government men are already banned from casinos under Presidential Decree No. 1869.

“Our concern is that under PD 1869, there is no express penalty for violations,” said Arnold Ferdinand Salvosa, assistant vice president of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. —DJ YAP