NEWS

The President of the Philippines has signed a decree banning all offshore gambling activities in the country

The decree means the complete closure of Philippine offshore game operators (POGO) and iGaming licensees (IGL). It was officially signed on November 5 and, according to Philippine government sources, takes effect immediately.

POGO — operators who were allowed to work both domestically and abroad. For a long time, they were the main component of the gambling business in the Philippines, but the authorities decided to completely ban this sector due to the high level of crime. After the POGO cleanup, safer and more transparent IGLS appeared in the Philippines, but now they will also be gone.

Now the police, migration and anti-corruption agencies will identify and close offshore networks, deport foreign workers and bring violators to criminal responsibility. The PAGCOR Casino (gambling regulator of the Philippines) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue have been instructed to accelerate the collection of remaining taxes and finally complete the liquidation of this sector.

The purpose of the ban does not change: the authorities want to minimize the crime associated with the gambling industry. Earlier attempts were made to reform the sector into a more transparent industry by introducing needles instead of criminal Pogo, but they were unsuccessful. Now, probably, the history of offshore gambling in the Philippines is coming to its logical end.

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