MANILA, Philippines – After a fatal casino attack, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) should have a counseling program for gambling addicts.

“Pagcor should make sure there’s a counseling program available to casino gambling addicts and those whose lives have been destroyed by casino gambling, to be implemented by Pagcor and all with casino franchises,” Pimentel said on Sunday, June 4.

The Senate President also said casinos should not take advantage of the situation of addicted players.

“Also, casinos should be reminded not to take advantage of addicted gamblers or players not having full control of their mental faculties while gambling (like drunk gambling). They should intervene and stop the player from throwing his money away without realizing it,” he said.

Pimentel made this statement after the Philippine National Police (PNP) disclosed the identity of the gunman responsible for the attack at Resorts World Manila last Friday, June 2.

The lone gunman was identified as 42-year-old Jessie Carlos, a former Department of Finance (DOF) employee. National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Oscar Albayalde said Carlos, a resident of Sta Cruz, Manila, was “heavily in debt” due to casino gambling.

Carlos – identified as a “high roller” who usually placed a minimum bet of P40,000 – is said to have P4 million in debt with banks, plus an undisclosed amount of non-bank-related debts, due to his gambling problem.

Albayalde reiterated that the suspect acted alone, and that the incident is not terror-related. – Rappler.com