The House of Representatives committee on games and amusements approved two measures seeking to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators, or Pogos, in February 2024, according to reporting by the Philippine Daily Inquirer1. The measures are House Resolution No. 1197, filed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, and House Bill No. 5082, filed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.1.
The approval was confirmed in June 2024, when Rodriguez renewed his call for the House to pass the ban following raids on Pogo compounds. "The House committee on games and amusements approved these measures in February," the Inquirer reported1. Rodriguez said the recent raids in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, were proof that gaming hubs "have become fronts for illegal activities such as money laundering, illegal immigration and employment, prostitution, extortion and kidnapping"1.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who heads the House committee on dangerous drugs, urged the government to declare Pogos a serious threat to national security1.
"These Pogos that are banned in mainland China only brought more crimes and shame to our country. Whatever benefit we got from them is nothing compared to what they have put us in."
Barbers also said Pogo money could be used to bribe officials, place Chinese nationals in government positions, and buy agricultural land1.
The renewed calls followed a raid on the Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. compound in Porac, a 5.8-hectare site along Friendship Highway. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission first raided the compound on June 4, and conducted a second raid on June 51. More than 190 Filipino and foreign workers were rescued, including 158 foreign and 36 Filipino workers1.
Porac Mayor Jaime Capil denied suggestions that he protected the Pogo operator. He said his office did not issue a business permit to Lucky South 99 "because [it is on] the negative list of the [Bureau of Fire Protection or BFP]"1. The Porac public information office said: "No mayor's permit was issued to Lucky South for 2024"1. According to the PAOCC, Lucky South 99, which the Department of the Interior and Local Government had already shut down in September 2022, had resumed operation without a license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. since late last year1.
Rodriguez also said: "Let us take advantage of these inquiries in the Senate. If the House approves our proposal soon, it will have a big chance of winning support and approval in the Senate"1.
What it means for players
The measures approved by the House committee are not yet law. They are a resolution and a bill that would need further approval in the House and the Senate before taking effect. As of the reporting, no change to the legal status of Pogos had been enacted1.
For people who work in or use Pogo services in the Philippines, the raids and the proposed ban signal continued scrutiny of the sector. The Porac case shows that a Pogo hub can operate without a mayor's permit and without a license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., according to the PAOCC1. Players and workers at unlicensed operations face the risk that a site can be raided and shut down with little notice.
The status of offshore gaming in the Philippines is covered in The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs). General rules on what is legal across the region are set out in Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions, and the treatment of games based on skill rather than chance is explained in Games of Skill vs Games of Chance in Asian Gambling Law. For the domestic market, see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
The House resolution and bill still require approval by the full House and the Senate before they could become law. Rodriguez said he hoped the House would approve the proposal soon so it could win support in the Senate1. The Senate was conducting its own inquiries into Pogos at the time of the report1. No date for a vote has been reported.
Sources1 sources
- Porac mayor says he’s no Pogo ‘protector’, newsinfo.inquirer.net
