Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. filed a bill in September 2022 seeking to ban and declare Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) illegal in the country1. Abante, who also chairs the human rights panel, described POGOs as a "social menace that dissipates the energy and resources of the people"1.
The bill was one of several measures filed at the House of Representatives targeting POGO operations. Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez filed a resolution in August 2023 urging the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to ban POGOs, citing the proliferation of POGO-related crimes such as kidnappings, reports of illegal detainment, human trafficking and prostitution1. In House Resolution 1197, Rodriguez said that "the country should not sacrifice the welfare and safety of its citizens for revenue" and that "these POGOs do not contribute anything else to the Philippines and they only operate here because they are banned in their own countries"1.
In June 2024, Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed a bill seeking to ban and criminalize POGOs, ordering government agencies to stop issuing work permits to anyone engaged in POGOs. That bill also sought to categorize employment of POGOs as a human trafficking offense1.
Both the Abante bill and the Rodriguez resolution remained pending before the House games and amusements committee1.
The filings preceded a later push by House leadership. House Speaker Martin Romualdez instructed House leaders and top secretariat officials to introduce a measure enabling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s announcement to ban POGOs in the country1. Marcos, in his third State of the Nation Address, ordered Pagcor to wind down and "cease" the operations of POGOs by the end of the year1.
"This, however, will not stop the ongoing House investigation on the criminal and other illegal activities linked to POGO."
Romualdez said he had met with House leaders and top secretariat officials, who told him there were already measures filed at the House targeting a halt to POGO operations, and he requested all concerned committee chairs to give the issue priority1. He asked the House Committee on Public Order and Security to submit its comprehensive report and recommendations to the Committee on Games and Amusement as soon as possible, saying he expected the games and amusement panel to produce a committee report soon for plenary deliberation1. Romualdez said he wanted the enabling law to cover "all bases" of the total ban1.
What it means for players
The Abante bill was a legislative proposal, not a ban in force at the time it was filed, and it remained pending before the House games and amusements committee1. Offshore gaming operations licensed by Pagcor continued under the regulator's framework until the later wind-down order1. The Philippines' ban on offshore gaming concerns operators serving customers abroad, not the domestic casino and gaming sector that locals and visitors use, and the country's gambling rules for those venues are separate. For a wider comparison, see gambling laws in Asia.
What happens next
Marcos ordered Pagcor to wind down and "cease" POGO operations by the end of 20241. Romualdez said the House investigation into criminal and other illegal activities linked to POGOs would continue despite the ban, and that he expected the games and amusement committee to produce a report for plenary deliberation1. No date for that deliberation has been reported1.
