The latest remittance of funds to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) demonstrates that the Philippines gaming regulator and operator, PAGCOR, is an important part of the economy and its ways work.

PAGCOR Continues to Support Sports in the Philippines

The regulator has been lambasted by numerous MPs and insiders of the government of President Bongbong Marcos, with many suggesting that many of the existing casinos ought to be shuttered in order to appease China, an important trading and economic partner in the region.

Yet, PAGCOR has withstood much of the criticism and has argued that its model of operation is one that provides benefits to the economy. With efforts to further clamp down on illegal gambling, the regulator feels confident in its long-term vision. In the meantime, PAGCOR remitted $4.7 million to the PSC for November and December 2022.

PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said that this amount was only going to improve in the coming months and years. He steered clear of making any political insinuations about recent criticism against the regulator but instead focused on what the watchdog saw as a robust and actionable plan for the future. Tengco said:

With the amount that we remitted, we hope to contribute significantly to the training of our national athletes for various international competitions and to the further development of Philippine sports. Our future remittances will be bigger as our operations are slowly easing back to normalcy.

PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco

The donation comes at a time when the Philippines is preparing for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games which will be held in Cambodia. The contributions are distributed under the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act. PAGCOR has also been equally focused on eliminating gambling-related harm.

Gambling a Broader Issue in Philippine Society

The regulator reported that there were 333 requests for self-exclusion in 2022, which is fairly low for a country that has millions of people gambling. Still, this is a 62% increase in the number of people excluded, indicating a shift in consumer awareness of self-exclusion, which is a net positive.

Meanwhile, PAGCOR has cautioned consumers to steer clear of illicit and offshore gambling websites which have been targeting Philippine citizens.

Lazio vs AC Milan might not be the biggest rivalry in Italian soccer, but it’s certainly up there. And this time, it’s going to be even more exciting than usual! Why? Because both teams are flying very high in the Serie A standings, each with even higher ambitions for the remainder of the season.

Lazio vs AC Milan Odds

*Odds taken from FanDuel on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

When, Where, and How to Watch?

• Place: Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy
• Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
• Time: 2:45 PM ET
• How to Watch: Paramount+

Lazio are (Almost) Always Great on Their Turf

At Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Lazio are 5-2-2 in the 2022-23 Serie A season. This makes them the fifth-best home side in the competition. They were great on home turf before the World Cup, and we expect them to do even better in the remainder of the season.

So far in 2023, they’ve played only one home game, but failed to win. The game in question is the one against Empoli, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Their second home match in the Serie A this year is on the program on Tuesday when they welcome AC Milan.

With the help of their fans, they look like a team that could give AC Milan a run for their money. History, however, teaches us otherwise. Even though they’re usually great in Rome, Lazio haven’t done much in home games against AC Milan in the last couple of years. In fact, the hosts won only three of the last 10 Lazio vs AC Milan games that took place at Olimpico.

AC Milan Can’t Afford to Lose Any More Points

Ahead of Round 19, AC Milan are trailing by 9 points behind table-leaders Napoli. Sure, there’s plenty of time left for the reigning champs to bridge the gap, but the trouble is that the Sky Blues from Naples are in top form. An even worse problem is that Rossoneri are not.

AC Milan have already played five games in 2023, but they managed to win only one of those. The good news for them is that the win in question happened in Serie A, which is their top priority. Their most recent game, however, was the Italian Super Cup, in which they got hammered by their intercity rivals, Inter Milan. The final score was 3-0 for Nerazzurri.

More bad news for AC Milan is that they got a number of players struggling with fitness. The good news – if you can call it that – is that Lazio too will miss a couple of key men, most notably, their goalscoring maestro, Ciro Immobile.

Lazio vs AC Milan Prediction

If you compare the players of these two teams, you’ll see that there’s not much difference between Lazio and Napoli in terms of quality. Still, we do believe that those playing for AC Milan are slightly better than Lazio’s players.

This, however, doesn’t mean they’re so superior that they can win in Rome. We doubt that can happen, but we also doubt Lazio can win. Instead, the draw seems like the most probable outcome.

Picks: Lazio and AC Milan to draw; under 2.5 goals

The announcement comes after the regulator held multiple meetings and reviewed the applications submitted by the operators. In addition, the MGC reviewed presentations and participated in discussions with each of the operators prior to giving the green light for preliminary suitability.

Following the latest MGC meeting, Bally Bet, DraftKings, FanDuel, Betway and PointsBet have all secured a temporary untethered Category 3 sports betting operator license via a unanimous vote. The sixth operator that secured a temporary license in Massachusetts after a 4-1 vote by the regulator was Betr, a gambling venture by social media star Jake Paul.

The announcement about the preliminary suitability for untethered Category 3 sports betting licenses comes ahead of the planned launch of sports betting in the state. Massachusetts legalized the activity last summer, but only recently, the MGC confirmed it plans to launch retail sports betting on January 31.

On the other hand, mobile/online sports betting is expected to roll out at some point in March this year as well. The regulator vowed to confirm the date at a later point. Considering the latest temporary license approval, the six operators join five other companies that have already secured a license in Massachusetts.

Sports Betting Continues to Expand around the US

Ever since PASPA’s repeal back in 2018, which used to restrict sports betting to a few states, the activity has been expanding rapidly. Overruling PASPA, the US Supreme Court enabled legislators in each state to legalize sports betting, establish a regulatory framework and introduce the activity. As a result, sports betting soared and continues to expand.

By now, according to data from the American Gaming Association, there are 32 states, as well as DC that offer some form of sports wagering. What’s more, there are four states, one of which is Massachusetts, that have legalized the activity and are planning to introduce it. Five other states are currently trying to legalize some form of wagering on sports, while nine states have no ongoing legislative efforts.

The taxation of sports betting creates fresh revenue for counties and states. Besides bringing invaluable economic stimulus, the activity contributes in the form of sponsorship with professional sports teams and leagues. Legal sports wagering also benefits bettors and having multiple operators offering the activity creates a competitive market. At the same time, legalization of the activity decreases the share of the black market or offshore operators and helps protect the well-being of the customers.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Melton’s opinion is that the legalization of sports betting in the state should be viewed as an expansion of the lottery. 

Georgia Politicians Push for the Legalization of Sports Betting

Recently, there has been an increased push to pass legislation through the General Assembly, with the Metro Atlanta Chamber requesting Melton’s thoughts on the constitutional validity of sports betting.

Due to the fact that amending the state constitution necessitates a two-thirds majority in both legislative chambers and eventually approval from voters, expanding gambling in Georgia has been a difficult task. 

Melton, however, believes that a constitutional amendment is not necessary. He stated in a memo that, after conducting a review of the relevant law, the meanings of the applicable terms in their original context, and the historical context of those terms, he believed that sports betting could be made legal as a state-run lottery for educational purposes solely through legislative action.

Various Legal Experts Have Voiced Opposing Opinions

There has been a lack of consistency among analysts in the Capitol regarding whether the state constitution allows sports betting. In 2019, Legislative Counsel Director Rick Ruskell advised passing a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting, citing ambiguity in the state constitution’s definitions. According to his comments in front of a panel of lawmakers, he recommended that the wise and safe course of action would be to put the issue to a vote by the people of Georgia through a well-crafted constitutional amendment.

In contrast, in 2020, Atlanta attorney Bruce Brown opined to an anti-gambling group that the law would not survive a constitutional challenge. 

Subsequently, some legislators have claimed that legal guidance is not needed to permit sports betting, while others maintain that a constitutional amendment is necessary. 

Legislation of Sports Betting in Georgia Did not Happen in 2022

Expanding gambling in the state to include sports betting has been a topic of discussion among lawmakers for years, with the goal being to support education programs funded by the Georgia Lottery, such as the HOPE scholarship. 

However, despite this, the legislation has not been able to pass due to disagreement over where the revenue generated from sports betting should go. A bill that seemed likely to pass the General Assembly in 2022 was blocked by the House Rules Committee. Some members of the committee took issue with the idea of using the revenue for need-based scholarships. 

Even though Republicans hold a majority in the Legislature, some members have opposed any form of gambling. This means that passing a constitutional amendment would require bipartisan support to reach the two-thirds threshold. 

Supporters argue that Georgians are already illegally betting nearly $5 billion a year on sports. A recent poll showed that a majority of Georgia voters support sports betting if the revenue is earmarked for pre-K and higher education programs.