The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) issued "Internet Gaming License Regulations" in July 2023, revising the previous "Offshore Gaming Regulations" in a bid to tighten regulation after various reported violations by POGO firms1. The change also replaced the term POGO, or Philippine offshore gaming operator, with IGL, or Internet Gaming Licensee, for all offshore gaming companies accredited or licensed to operate in the Philippines1.
Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco announced the new label at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, in an interview with industry publication Inside Asian Gaming reported on Oct. 11, 20231.
"This is the first time we are announcing this publicly, we will be using this new expression IGL from now on"
Tengco said 55 to 65 licenses will be issued and that service provider licenses will no longer exist, leaving only the IGL license1. He also said Pagcor expected to publish a full list of newly licensed IGLs by the end of October 2023, and that the list of relicensed operators would include the web addresses of all legal online gaming websites1.
The reported violations by POGO firms drew attention from senators, who held numerous inquiries in aid of legislation over POGO operations in the months before the announcement; the inquiries eventually led some senators to push for a POGO ban in the country1. The Philstar.com report also said Tengco had remained inaccessible to local media since his appointment to the Pagcor top post the previous year and had not held a press conference on his agenda or on the regulator's planned privatization of Pagcor-operated casinos and transition to a purely regulatory role1.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Offshore Gaming Regulations | Internet Gaming License Regulations1 |
| POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operator) | IGL (Internet Gaming Licensee)1 |
| Operator licenses plus service provider licenses | IGL license only1 |
What it means for players
The practical effect for anyone gambling in the Philippines is a change in how offshore-facing operators are named and licensed. Companies that hold or seek accreditation now fall under the IGL label rather than POGO1. Because Pagcor said the list of newly licensed operators would include the web addresses of legal online gaming sites, that list is the reference point for checking whether a site is licensed1. The number of licenses is capped in the 55 to 65 range, and service provider licenses are being dropped, so some entities that previously held a separate service provider license will not have that category available1. The regulations were issued in July 2023, but the full list of newly licensed IGLs had not been published as of the Oct. 16, 2023 report1. How the new rules are enforced in practice, and what penalties apply for operating without an IGL, have not been reported in the source.
What happens next
Pagcor expected to release the full list of newly licensed IGLs by the end of October 20231. The report does not state what happens to operators that do not receive a license, or the status of the proposed POGO ban raised by senators1.
For background on who licenses what, see Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia: Who Licenses What and How to Check and Types of Gambling Licenses Explained: Concessions, Casino, Online, B2B and B2C. To check an operator, see How to Check a PAGCOR Gaming License and Fake Gambling License Claims: Cloned Seals and False License Numbers. For the wider context, see The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs), Crackdowns on Offshore Online Gambling Hubs in Asia, Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
Sources1 sources
- Name change: No more POGO, just IGL | Philstar.com, philstar.com
