The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Tuesday that legal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations POGO or Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL) have been complying with the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cease operations by the end of the year.

According to PAOCC Spokesperson Winston Casio, there are around 37 to 38 IGL’s currently operating but these are not causing problems to the commission  as they are closing down shop.

Since Marcos declared a ban on all POGOs in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), Casio said all POGOs have been deemed illegal but until recently, similar operations have been popping up with some now being operated by Filipinos.

“Our real problem is those who are really illegal from the get go – from the very beginning they are really illegal, they are already underground. That is our problem now because we are chasing them all over the country,” Casio said in a televised interview.

By estimate, Casio said there are around 50 to more than 100 illegal POGOs operating.

“Once there were hundreds, thousands of employees [have now] disintegrated into smaller units so operations have increased even more,” Casio explained.

Meanwhile, Casio is calling on other government agencies for help in cracking down illegal POGO operations.

“All we need is the proactive assistance of the different agencies of the executive branch together with the LGU. When we get together, it is possible we can handle it,” he said.

Casio also urged the public to remain vigilant and report activities that are similar to POGOs.

“We need the help of the community, because the community is the eyes and ears of our government and our country – so, if they see any illegal activities, we need their help to be able to report it to their LGUs; to their police officers; to their municipal and city police stations and then to us at PAOCC, PNP, NBI, CIDG and whatever,” he said.