The Marcos administration's ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators took full effect on December 31, 2024, the deadline it had set for all POGOs to be out of business and for all foreign POGO workers to leave the country1. The government had said it would cancel the commercial 9G work visas of POGO employees by October 15, giving them time to leave as their employers wound down operations1.
- The government said it would cancel POGO employees' commercial 9G work visas by October 151
- Workers who waited were to be granted 60-day tourist visas expiring with the ban's enforcement at the end of 20241
- After December 31, 2024, foreign POGO workers are considered illegal in the Philippines1
Workers who waited for their 9G visas to be canceled were to be granted 60-day tourist visas, which would expire in time for the ban's enforcement at the end of 20241. Commercial 9G visas, also known as pre-arranged employment visas, allow holders to enter and exit the Philippines multiple times during their employment and to stay for a period not exceeding their employment contracts; they can only be granted if the applicant holds an Alien Employment Permit issued by the Philippine labor department1. Workers could also avail themselves of early repatriation before their work visas were canceled1.
"they will all have to leave by December 31. Wala nang legal (They are all considered illegal) by December 31."
The government prepared to publish a notice in leading newspapers addressed to affected foreign POGO workers, with text in English and Mandarin, setting out the steps workers would have to take for a smooth transition, and hotlines were to be set up for them1. A Rappler source said the notice should help protect affected workers from unscrupulous government workers or agents who might cite false guidelines, requirements or violations to extort from them1.
Government sources have given varying figures for the number of foreign workers at POGOs. Pagcor said in 2023 that 22,184 foreigners, 7,534 of them Chinese, were working in licensed POGOs, while the finance department cited data from the same year showing 41,347 foreign workers1. Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission spokesman Winston Casio said "180,000 to 200,000 Chinese nationals" at the peak of POGO operations under president Rodrigo Duterte had not left the Philippines1. Rappler reported that revenue-generating agencies were citing figures based on the 43 POGOs still operating legally, while law enforcers' estimates included the 250 or so POGOs whose licenses had long been revoked and which had been operating underground1. A time and motion study by concerned agencies was based on around 100,000 POGO workers being repatriated by year-end1.
| Source | Foreign POGO workers cited |
|---|---|
| Pagcor, 2023 | 22,184 foreigners, 7,534 Chinese, in licensed POGOs1 |
| Finance department, 2023 | 41,347 foreign workers1 |
| PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio | 180,000 to 200,000 Chinese nationals at the peak, not left1 |
| Agency time and motion study | Around 100,000 to be repatriated by year-end1 |
A source involved in the planning raised the question of capacity: "There may not be enough [commercial] flights if we will have to repatriate 2,500 to 3,000 a day," the source said, adding that chartered flights, which are more expensive, were among the details being ironed out1. In the past, the Chinese embassy in Manila had paid for the deportation of its citizens arrested in raids on illegal POGOs1.
What it means for players
The ban covers POGOs, which are offshore operators licensed in the Philippines to serve customers abroad, and it does not by itself change the rules for domestic gambling in the Philippines. The country's land-based casinos, licensed online operators serving local players and other regulated gambling remain governed by their own rules, which are set out in the Philippines gambling guide and the wider gambling laws in Asia overview. What changed at the end of 2024 is the legal status of the offshore-facing industry and of the foreign nationals who worked in it: after December 31, 2024, foreign POGO workers are considered illegal in the Philippines1. For visitors and expats, the practical effect is on immigration status rather than on where they can gamble. Anyone whose Philippine stay was tied to POGO employment faced the loss of their 9G visa and a 60-day tourist visa window that expired with the ban1. The POGO ban guide covers the ban's background, and Can I Gamble in China? is relevant to the largely Chinese workforce affected, since Chinese nationals are barred from gambling abroad under Chinese law.
What happens next
The sources do not set out steps after December 31, 2024. The visa cancellation, the 60-day tourist visas, the newspaper notice and the hotlines were all described as preparations leading up to that date1. No further deadlines, enforcement measures or repatriation arrangements after December 31, 2024 have been reported.
