The Department of Finance has formally recommended banning the Philippine offshore gaming operator industry, saying the net cost of allowing POGOs is around P99.52 billion annually1. The recommendation was reported by Philstar.com on July 22, 2024, in an article that also covered calls for a transition plan for the workers who would lose their jobs1.
The department put the direct economic benefits of POGOs at P60.68 billion only, against an aggregate cost of P265.74 billion per year1. The Department of Finance gave the net cost of allowing POGOs as around P99.52 billion annually1.
Employment data cited in the report shows how many people are affected. As of end-2023, some 25,064 Filipinos were employed by POGOs across the country, roughly a 52.2 percent share of local workers in POGO employment, compared with 22,915 foreign employees1.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the committee on ways and means, said safety nets must be in place for Filipino workers who would be displaced if a total ban is legislated1.
"In re-creating the economy without POGOs as a source of income, the government needs to lay down transitory mechanisms such as employment of affected Filipino nationals."
Gatchalian said safety nets for POGO workers would include upskilling and reskilling programs to ensure they can find replacement jobs as soon as possible1. The Department of Labor and Employment said it is prepared to implement the necessary programs, and is expected to run facilitation programs for reskilling and upskilling displaced POGO workers, on top of livelihood and emergency employment through its community-based emergency employment for displaced workers1.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Direct economic benefits of POGOs | P60.68 billion |
| Aggregate cost of the industry per year | P265.74 billion |
| Net cost of allowing POGOs | P99.52 billion annually |
What it means for players
The recommendation concerns offshore gaming operators, the licensed businesses that served customers abroad, not the domestic gambling market. The report does not describe any change to land-based casinos, e-games, sports betting or other forms of gambling available in the Philippines, and no such change has been reported1. For players, the practical effect at this stage is uncertainty around the POGO sector itself: the Department of Finance has recommended a ban, but the report describes that as a recommendation, not an enacted prohibition1. The article does not state what would happen to existing POGO licenses, to funds or accounts held with those operators, or to any player-facing services connected to them. Those points have not been reported1. Background on the sector and the wider legal picture is set out in The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs) and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions; general market information is in Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
The report does not give a date for a decision on the recommendation, and no legislative timetable is stated1. What it does set out is the preparation underway if a ban proceeds: the Department of Labor and Employment is expected to run reskilling and upskilling programs for displaced POGO workers, along with livelihood and emergency employment through its community-based emergency employment for displaced workers1. Gatchalian's call for a transitory mechanism indicates that the terms of any wind-down, including support for the 25,064 Filipino workers recorded at end-2023, remain under discussion1.
