Cagayan Economic Zone Authority

Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) - administration of the special economic zone in the Philippines. The essence of this organization is to provide accreditation and licensing for foreign enterprises that want to work in the region. It is important to note that this administration operates separately from the Philippine government, but all activities, including tax collection, have been approved by the federal administration.

Regulator licensed casinos

First Cagayan has licensed many well-known gambling companies, including 

• MILES OF OCEAN INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT LIMITED 
• MERCURY SYSTEMS INC. 
• KEEN OCEAN TECHNOLOGY LIMITED 
• BESTBET LTD
• LIMITED ASIAN BGE 
• GAMEPLAY INTERACTIVE LIMITED

and many others. The complete list can be found on the website of First Cagayan http://www.firstcagayan.com

Cagayan Economic Zone Authority review

In 1995, the Philippines enacted act No. 7922, which established the Cagayan economic zone and free port jurisdiction. This zone is controlled by an administration called the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA). CEZA has the right to operate directly, through a subsidiary, or by licensing third parties. Activities that are licensed by CEZA include gambling, entertainment, sports facilities, horse racing, dog racing, casinos, golf courses, and other priorities set by CEZA.

CEZA licenses both land-based and online gambling.

But specifically online gambling is regulated by The General licensor and the regulatory body Of the administration of the economic zone of Cagayan First Cagayan. The main purpose of the First Cagayan is to regulate and control on behalf of CEZA all activities related to the licensing and operation of online gambling. 

There is one very unusual restriction on gambling in this area. Land-based casinos must be tied to hotel services and gaming operations are only available to hotel guests. In essence, this means that Filipinos who simply live in the area are not allowed to enter the casino and play. 

The online gambling industry is similarly regulated. Companies that own and operate online casinos can apply for licensing with CEZA. However, access to the site for residents of the Philippines should be blocked. Only foreign players can access and play on these sites.

License types of Cagayan Economic Zone Authority

First Cagayan issues three types of licenses:

1. The full license includes all types of gambling: casinos, poker rooms, bookmakers, keno, lotteries, and more. 
2. License for bookmakers is intended only for bookmakers.  
3. Online casino licenses can only be used by online casinos. 

To obtain a license, you need to pay the required fee and meet the requirements of CEZA for software, finance, security, and other parameters.

Dispute resolution

There is very little information on how this regulator approaches the issue of player support. After all, CEZA is active mainly in the markets of Asia, not in Europe and America. There is no complaints policy listed on their website at all. One analysis of gaming companies operating under the jurisdiction of Cagayan showed that there are no serious claims to their work. This characterizes Cagayan Economic Zone Authority only from the best side and indicates the high standards of the regulator.

Conclusion

There are currently around 90-100 online casino sites licensed by CEZA. Despite the fact that the Philippine market is very "local" and not widely used internationally, CEZA licenses remain the only opportunity for gambling companies to enter the Asian market. Cagayan Economic Zone Authority is still the only regulator of online gambling in Asia.