Senate committee files report recommending permanent Pogo ban

The Senate committee on ways and means has recommended permanently banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in the country, with the recommendation contained in Committee Report No. 136 filed at the Senate on Tuesday¹. Senator Win Gatchalian, the committee chairman, was among the ten senators who signed the report¹.

The signatories were Senators Win Gatchalian, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Pia Cayetano, Grace Poe, Raffy Tulfo, Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva and Koko Pimentel¹.

Citing Philippine National Police data, Gatchalian said Pogos have victimized 4,355 Filipinos, involving 903 perpetrators from January 2017 to June 30, 2023¹. He said the committee report also recommends the adoption of a resolution urging the executive department to cease Pogo operations, that the Department of Labor and Employment search for alternative employment placements for Filipino nationals employed by Pogos, and that the Bureau of Immigration cancel and revoke work visas issued to foreign nationals employed in the Pogo industry¹.

Senators gave differing reasons for their positions. Senator Imee Marcos said she did not sign the report because she was not able to study it thoroughly². Senator Bong Go said that if peace and order is being affected and if the lives of Filipinos are being affected, Pogos can already leave, adding: "Just make sure that those who lost their jobs will have another job"². Senator JV Ejercito, a signatory, said he will seek an amendment suggesting legal Pogos be given a "phaseout period" while illegal Pogos should be "banned immediately," saying canceling it abruptly might have consequences on different industries related to it². Senator Risa Hontiveros said she is a firm believer that a total ban on Pogo is right and just, citing Senate committee on women investigations into Pogo involvement in prostitution, corruption especially in the Pastillas scam, human trafficking, and Pogos being used as legal cover by scam hubs².

What it means for players

The report is a recommendation, not a ban in force. No change to the legal status of Pogo operations, or to the position of players using them, follows from the filing itself on the facts reported. The committee's proposals touch the operators and their workforces: a resolution urging the executive department to cease operations, job placement for Filipino Pogo employees, and cancellation of work visas for foreign nationals in the industry¹. For foreign nationals working in the sector, the visa measure is the item with direct personal effect if it is acted on. For players, the practical position of Pogo-based sites and any services tied to them is unchanged by the report alone. The wider legal picture for gambling in the country is set out in Can I Gamble in the Philippines? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.

What happens next

The report recommends a resolution urging the executive department to cease Pogo operations, and the committee's other recommendations on employment placement and work visas¹. Ejercito said he will seek an amendment on a phaseout period for legal Pogos². Whether the Senate adopts the resolution, and whether the executive acts on it, has not been reported. The status of the proposed permanent ban is tracked in The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs).