POGO ban gains ground in House

The efforts to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) are intensifying, marked by the introduction of House Bill 10525 on Tuesday.

The measure, filed by the progressive Makabayan bloc, seeks to revoke all licenses granted to POGOs and make their operations a predicate crime to money laundering and human trafficking offenses, with up to 10 years imprisonment and P10 million in fines.

The bill additionally will bar government agencies from issuing work permits and visas for offshore gaming purposes and mandates an annual compliance report from the responsible agencies.

The legislative action follows reports associating the offshore gaming industry with various criminal activities, including the recent case involving Baofu Land Development Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac, purportedly owned by suspended Mayor Alice Guo.

Baofu is a POGO operations compound hosting gaming operators Zun Yuan Technology and Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc. that was raided by the authorities for alleged human trafficking, serious illegal detention, and fraudulent cryptocurrency investment operations.

“[Revenue from POGOs] would not compensate the social problems that they create,” said ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, a member of the Makabayan bloc, in an interview on Tuesday.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), tasked with granting provisional licenses to POGOs, has resisted efforts to outlaw these contentious offshore gaming operators, citing the substantial revenue they generate for the agency.

Data obtained by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairperson of the House committee on ways and means, showed that PAGCOR collections from internet gaming licensees, also known as POGOs, surged to P5.1 billion in 2023 from P2.99 billion in 2022.