Pagcor, House act to end POGOs

Licenses issued to 43 firms to be canceled, says Tengco

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) yesterday said it will cancel the licenses it has issued to 43 Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) following President Marcos Jr.’s order of a total ban on the offshore gambling industry during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.

The President gave the Pagcor until the end of the year to stop the operation of all offshore gambling firms in the country.

“No problem in closing down POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) because I can invoke national security and the president’s order,” Pagcor chairman Alejandro Tengco said.

In a hearing at the House of Representatives yesterday, Tengco said POGOs have been renamed as IGLs under the Marcos administration to remove the “stigma” that stuck to it and to rebrand the industry after the industry’s structure was changed and more stringent guidelines were adopted by the Pagcor.

Tengco told lawmakers there will be no distinction between POGOs and IGLs when the industry is shut down.

“The President’s order was clear,” he said in Filipino. “I’ll abide by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order.”

POGOs emerged in 2016 during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, with companies setting up shop and targeting overseas markets, including China where gambling is banned.

The POGO industry, which at its peak prior to the COVID-19 pandemic involved 300 firms, boosted demand for apartments, offices, and transportation services.

Speaker Martin Romualdez ordered committee chairmen at the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of bills that will put to a halt to all POGO operations in the country by the end of the year.

Romualdez also instructed the House Joint Committee on Public Order and Safety and Games and Amusement to continue with its ongoing congressional investigation on the operation of criminal syndicates responsible for illegal activities linked to POGOs “in order to unmask their modus operandi and their masterminds.”

“Immediately after the SONA of President Marcos, Jr., I met with House leaders and top Secretariat officials last night in my office. I asked them to come