Authorities in the Philippines raided two illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs in Pasay City in November 2023, rescuing 731 suspected victims of human trafficking and finding a torture den hidden inside one of the buildings1. The hubs are accused of facilitating prostitution and human trafficking1.
The rescued group included both foreigners and Filipinos1. The raid was cited by lawmakers as evidence of the crimes linked to the offshore gaming industry. POGO firms in the Philippines have been repeatedly linked to prostitution, swindling, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and online scams, and the total number of reported POGO-related offenses tripled from 2019 to 2022, according to a Philippine National Police presentation at a Senate hearing1.
On February 12, 2024, the House games and amusements committee approved two measures seeking to ban all POGO operations in the country1. House Bill 5082 disbands and tags as illegal all POGO operations, and House Resolution 1197 calls for a government ban on POGO operations1. The authors were Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila, 6th District) and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro), respectively1.
Rodriguez told the committee that regulation had failed.
"The number of victims has increased exponentially. In other words, there's no more time to put regulations. We are saying here that there is no more chance for more regulation because five years (was given) to have good regulations, and they have failed."
Economic managers reported that POGO revenues barely make a dent in the country's gross domestic product, hovering just around 0.2% in 20231. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said last year that he needed a "good reason" to outlaw all POGO operations, saying issues with the gaming hubs are caused by illegal operators1.
| Measure | Effect |
|---|---|
| House Bill 5082 | Disbands and tags as illegal all POGO operations1 |
| House Resolution 1197 | Calls for a government ban on POGO operations1 |
What it means for players
The raid and the committee vote concern illegal offshore operators, not licensed land-based casinos or other regulated gambling in the Philippines. The 731 people rescued were described as suspected human trafficking victims, not customers1. The bill and resolution, if passed, would target POGO operations specifically; the status of legal domestic gambling is not addressed in the measures as described1. The House panel's approval is a committee stage, and the text does not state when or whether the measures would take effect. Details of how a ban would affect existing POGO licenses, workers or players have not been reported1.
What happens next
The two measures now move forward from the House games and amusements committee. The committee heard that an "overwhelming majority" of invited representatives from government agencies, including the departments of the Interior and Local Government and Foreign Affairs, as well as law enforcement agencies, are in favor of banning POGO operations1. No date for a full House vote or for Senate action has been reported1.
For background on the sector, see The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs) and Can I Gamble in the Philippines?. For reporting channels and warning signs of scam compounds, see Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia.
