The Philippine National Police reported 40 crimes linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in 2022, at least four times the nine recorded in 2019 before the pandemic, at a Senate hearing on Monday, January 30, 20231. Police Maj. Gen. Eliseo Cruz, director for Investigation and Detective Management, presented the data to the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, chaired by Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief1.
The highest single-year figure was 42 incidents in 2021, with 11 cases in 2020, and no POGO-related incidents recorded in 2017 and 20181. Of the 102 POGO-related cases since 2019, at least 35 have reached court and only one has led to a conviction1. The PNP told the inquiry that the 102 crimes involved 316 victims of various nationalities: 214 Chinese, 28 Filipinos, 28 Thais, 24 from Myanmar, eight Malaysians, six Vietnamese, five Taiwanese, two Mongolians and one Japanese2. Cruz said 299 victims were rescued, 16 were injured and one died2.
Of the 892 suspects, 782 were Chinese, followed by 80 Filipinos, five Malaysians, two Thais, two Indonesians, one Vietnamese, one Korean and 19 whose nationalities have not been confirmed because they are at large2. The case breakdown was 30 kidnappings for ransom, 14 violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, 13 violations of the Access Devices Regulation Act, 10 kidnappings and serious illegal detentions, five illegal detentions, six robberies and two grave coercion cases, with the rest extortion, estafa, qualified theft and theft2.
Police Col. Byron Tabernilla, former chief of the Pasay City Police Station, said three Chinese nationals had been arrested in connection with the abduction described by Sen. Grace Poe in a December privilege speech, and that two unlicensed and unregistered firearms were recovered from them1. Pasay police identified the victim as Malaysian, not Filipino-Chinese as stated in Poe's speech1. The PNP said the victim was allegedly taken to a POGO accredited by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. at the Shuangma Industrial Park in Bacoor, Cavite, identified as Brickhartz, which did not accept her after an employee noticed her injuries2. Poe said the kidnappers tried to sell her for P320,000 and her brother-in-law recovered her after paying P250,000 to Brickhartz; the PNP said there was no evidence of her being recovered with ransom2.
The Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order, a kidnap-for-ransom victims' advocacy group, warned the committee that allowing illegal POGO firms to operate would drive crimes up1.
"POGO-related crimes may increase significantly or even exponentially because the criminal syndicates behind the said crimes will become emboldened by the lack of consequences of their criminal activities"
The hearings are part of the committee's inquiry into whether a ban on the operators is necessary1. Senators said they want to give President Marcos good reasons to outlaw POGOs, especially since the revenues the government collects from these firms are not big compared to the social and economic costs they bring2.
What it means for players
The figures cover crimes tied to POGO operations, the offshore-facing operators licensed in the Philippines, not the domestic casinos and e-gaming sites that most visitors and residents use. The victims listed are overwhelmingly foreign nationals, mainly Chinese, and the cases described involve kidnapping, trafficking and illegal detention rather than disputes over bets or payouts1. For anyone in the Philippines, the practical point is that the criminal activity reported around POGO work and dormitory arrangements has been concentrated among workers and recruits, including people drawn in by job offers. The status of POGO licensing and any ban is a separate question that the Senate inquiry is still weighing1. Background on the sector is in our guide to the Philippines' ban on offshore gaming (POGOs), and reporting routes for scams and forced-labor situations are set out in gambling scams and safety in Asia. General licensing and venue rules for the country are covered in can I gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
The committee revived its inquiry after wrapping up hearings in October last year, and no date has been reported for its next session or for a decision on a POGO ban2. The PNP said it has yet to identify whether the three Chinese nationals who allegedly ordered the kidnapping are employed with the POGO company that owned the dormitory1. The Women and Children Protection Center challenged former POGO firm representative Ruth Pomposelli to substantiate her accusation that its personnel were involved in kidnapping Chinese workers and selling them to illegal POGO companies; the WCPC said the operation she described took place in October 2021 and was based on a request for assistance from a Chinese embassy consular officer over a human trafficking situation in Las Piñas2.
