Big brother has finally taken his eyes off the Philippines after the country included casinos under the coverage of the anti-money laundering law.

The Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) announced that the southeast island nation has dodged further scrutiny – and possible sanctions – from the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering after the government reported that President Rodrigo Duterte signed the casino bill into law.

Republic Act (RA) No. 10927, which Duterte signed in July, now includes gambling operators – land-based, online and shipboard – as well as junket operators as ‘covered persons’ under the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).

Under the amended AMLA, Gaming operators must now report any single casino cash transaction that involves an amount of more than PHP5 million (US$100,000) or its equivalent in any other currency.