Deadline for foreign POGO workers to leave the Philippines

Foreign workers employed by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) were directed to leave the Philippines by September 2024, the consequence of a ban announced more than a year earlier¹.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a complete ban on POGOs in July 2023, citing their alleged connections to criminal activities, and that ban led to the directive for foreign workers to depart by September 2024¹.

The industry's growth began in 2016, during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, under permits issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation¹. It expanded quickly on liberal gaming laws that drew customers from China, where gambling is prohibited¹. Revenue peaked at P6 billion in 2018 and then fell to a low of P2.2 billion in 2022¹.

The Chinese government had urged the Philippines to ban POGOs, citing their negative impact on society and crime, and worked with Philippine law enforcement on issues tied to POGO operations¹. The presence of POGO workers, many of whom turned out to be trafficked from China and other countries, upended the real estate market and disrupted peace and order in some communities¹.

What it means for players

The ban and the departure deadline apply to the offshore operators that served customers abroad, most of them in China, rather than to the domestic gambling market. The reported figures cover POGO revenue only, and no figures for the wider Philippine gaming sector appear in the reporting¹.

For foreign nationals who worked in POGO operations, the directive set September 2024 as the date to leave the country¹. The reporting does not set out what immigration status or enforcement measures applied to workers who stayed past that date, and it does not describe penalties for individuals. Those details have not been reported¹.

For locals, expats and visitors who gamble in the Philippines, the reporting does not state whether the ban changed access to land-based casinos, licensed sportsbooks or other regulated gambling products. No such effect is described¹. Background on the wider market is set out in our guide to gambling in the Philippines, and the ban itself is covered in The Philippines' Ban on Offshore Gaming (POGOs). Because the POGO customer base was largely in China, where gambling is prohibited, the demand those operators served is also relevant to gambling in China¹.

What happens next

The reporting gives no further dated steps beyond the September 2024 departure deadline for foreign workers¹. It does not state what enforcement followed, whether the deadline was extended, or what became of the operators' remaining assets and licenses. Those points have not been reported¹.