The National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) and the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority (PNGICSA) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to combat illegal activities in the country. Under the Agreement, both organisations will collaborate on information sharing and effectively establish a framework to combat illegal activities and apprehend offenders who violate the country’s laws. NGCB Chief Executive Officer Imelda Agon said the MOU will allow both organisations to conduct joint programmes and awareness to ensure businesses follow proper processes, and regulate and monitor existing business entities owned by foreign nationals or foreign nationals partnering with PNG nationals. Agon said the Gaming Industry is being diversified and soon new games will be introduced in the country thus there is a need for prudent monitoring and regulation of businesses who are keen to venture or tap into gaming businesses. “It is important that we strategically forge good working relationship with other government agencies and our partnership with PNGICSA is pivotal to combat illegal foreigners coming into our country and engaging in illegal gaming business and not paying their taxes to the PNG Government”, Agon said. The Chief Migration Officer Stanis Hulahau said ICA wants to work with all agencies to improve compliance and same time help each other to enforce their respective laws and generate revenue for the government. “At ICA we are stepping up our efforts to close off all loopholes in our efforts to create a joint agency collaboration where information and intelligence can be managed through conveniently for the sake of strengthening our domestic laws to ensure foreign nationals who do business in our country are compliant,” Mr Hulahau said. “And this MOU is based on this principal of information sharing and collaboration in areas of mutual interests.” The MOU now enables NGCB to request ICA to impose travel restrictions or alerts on persons of interest trying to travel out of the country, provide information on persons of interest, and conduct physical spot check operations and removal if necessary.