The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Sunday said it is investigating the origins and possible links of illegal online gambling operations in the country, amid an ongoing debate over whether to regulate, tax, or impose a total ban on such platforms due to their social costs.

“Our task is to study, to research on online gambling. How are they connected? What is the intention of those who put these up?” PAOCC Executive Director Gilbert Cruz said during a forum in Quezon City.

Cruz said the agency is now coordinating with various government bodies to look into how illegal online gambling operations may be connected to criminal activities, including abusive practices and financial crimes.

He noted that investigators are particularly interested in whether certain online gambling schemes involve tactics similar to online lending scams or money laundering cases that plagued the now-banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

“If that is like online lending, where there is harassment involved, it should be banned,” he added.

Cruz said that the results of the PAOCC’s study will be submitted to lawmakers, especially in light of mounting calls to impose a total ban on online gambling.