All Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) licenses issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) are deemed canceled by December 31, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, four months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the industry closed without issuing a written executive order1.
Remulla said no executive order was necessary. "No EOs necessary. The ban is clear. All POGO licenses issued by Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation] are deemed canceled by December 31," he said1. He added that internet gaming licenses (IGLs) issued by other agencies remain unresolved: "IGLs (internet gaming licenses) issued by the different agencies are still a gray area until the President makes a direct order. Meanwhile we will concentrate on the legal and illegal POGOs"1.
A Pagcor source told Rappler the agency was waiting for an executive order1. Freeport and economic zones hold some autonomy, and some can issue their own visas and licenses1. Pagcor chairperson Alejandro Tengco told a Senate panel in July that the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) was the complication, saying it "has its own charter, and in that charter, it is the only export processing authority which has the power to issue its own license for any kind of gaming operations"1. Tengco said the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority has no licensing operations, and the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) needs Pagcor approval before issuing licenses1. He said AFAB is covered by the ban by virtue of its charter, while CEZA was a special case1.
On October 31, authorities raided a gaming hub licensed by AFAB as a special class business process outsourcing1. Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission spokesperson Winston Casio said: "This raid is tangible proof that some investment promotion areas are being abused to allow offshore gaming activities that are bordering on scamming activities"1.
| Body | Position on licenses under the ban |
|---|---|
| Pagcor | All POGO licenses deemed canceled by December 311 |
| CEZA | Issues its own gaming licenses under its charter; treated as a special case1 |
| AFAB | Needs Pagcor approval to issue licenses; covered by the ban1 |
| APECO | No licensing operations1 |
The Bureau of Immigration is downgrading visas of foreign workers who came to work in POGO hubs. Workers may voluntarily move from a work visa to a temporary visitor visa, which allows them to stay 59 more days "to wind down their affairs," Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in early October1. "Workers who fail to leave the country by December 31, 2024, will face deportation proceedings and be blacklisted from re-entering the Philippines," Viado said1.
What it means for players
Players using sites that operate under a Pagcor POGO license have no licensed operator behind them after December 31, since Remulla says those licenses are canceled1. Whether sites running under IGLs from CEZA or other zones are covered has not been settled, because no written order exists and Remulla calls that category a gray area1. For anyone checking whether an operator is licensed, the Pagcor license guide and the wider regulators and licensing guide set out how licenses are issued and verified. The POGO ban guide covers the ban itself, and gambling in the Philippines covers what remains legal for locals, expats and visitors. Foreign nationals who worked in the industry and stay past December 31 face deportation and a re-entry blacklist1.
What happens next
Marcos has still not issued the executive order that would settle how freeport and ecozone licenses are treated, and Rappler reported that Malacañang had not responded to its questions1. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Tengco had not referred the matter to him, suggesting it may have gone to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel instead1. The December 31 deadline for foreign workers to leave or face deportation and blacklisting stands1.
