The Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed before a Senate committee on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, that 4,039 people were victims of crimes related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the first half of 20231. The figure compares with 128 reported victims of POGO-related crimes in the first half of 20221.
PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin C. Acorda told senators the force is "intensifying operations" against POGOs and training more investigators on how to build cases against such illegal activities1. He said the scale of individual cases is large: "In one operation alone, the victims are by the hundreds or thousands," he said at the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which has administrative jurisdiction over the PNP1.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who earlier filed a resolution seeking to permanently ban POGOs in the country, told the same hearing that many POGO firms are still licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), which he said allows them to continue illegal activity1.
"In other words, they (licensed POGO firms) are legitimate in the eyes of Pagcor, but they are doing illegitimate activities behind these licenses."
Acorda said the PNP has been coordinating with Pagcor and the Department of Justice to keep an eye on POGO-related activities1. He added that POGO operations must be regulated and monitored, or banned if crimes continue to increase1.
Separately, Pagcor said in August that it would start the privatization of 45 casinos by the third quarter of 2025, expected to generate between P60 billion and P80 billion in revenues1. Gatchalian said the move would make up for losses the government would incur from shuttered POGO firms, after it was reported that Pagcor failed to collect P2.2 billion in unpaid dues from these POGO outfits1.
| Period | Reported POGO-related crime victims |
|---|---|
| First half of 2022 | 128 |
| First half of 2023 | 4,039 |
What it means for players
The figures cover crimes linked to POGO operations, the offshore gaming firms that serve customers abroad while based in the Philippines, not the domestic casino market. People in the Philippines who gamble, whether locals, expats or visitors, are affected mainly through the licensed venues and online operators that sit alongside that industry. Gatchalian's claim that licensed firms can host illegal activity behind their licenses concerns the licensing system itself, and the PNP says it is coordinating with Pagcor and the Department of Justice on monitoring1. The report does not break the 4,039 victims down by nationality, by crime type or by whether the cases involved licensed or unlicensed operators, and it does not say how many cases led to charges. For anyone dealing with a gambling-related scam, the site's guides on gambling scams in the Philippines and what to do after a gambling scam set out reporting routes, and the Philippines gambling guide covers how the market is regulated. Background on the offshore industry is in the guide to the Philippines' ban on offshore gaming, and gambling scams and safety in Asia covers scam compounds and fake sites across the region.
What happens next
Pagcor's planned privatization of 45 casinos is scheduled to begin by the third quarter of 20251. Gatchalian's resolution seeking a permanent POGO ban remains before the Senate; the report does not give a date for a decision on it. No timeline has been reported for the PNP's expanded investigator training or for its coordination with Pagcor and the Department of Justice1.
Sources1 sources
- POGO victims hit 4,039, PNP - BusinessWorld Online, bworldonline.com
