Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announces total POGO ban
Date: 2024-07-22 Author: Robert Beloved Categories: EVENTS
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a decision to impose a complete ban on all Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) until the end of this year. The decision comes as part of a wider campaign to combat criminal activity associated with POGOs and reflects authorities' concerns about the growing threats posed by these operators.
Reasons for the ban
President Marcos' announcement came during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) and was a response to numerous scandals involving offshore gambling operators. In recent weeks, the government has stepped up enforcement against foreign crime syndicates and illegal gambling operations. Particular attention is paid to combating money laundering, financial fraud and other POGO-related crimes.
At the end of June, Philippine Senator Joel Villanueva called for a complete ban on online gambling in the region, which included POGO. In July, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) confirmed that POGO centers will no longer be permitted to operate. These moves highlight a general trend in government policies aimed at combating illegal gambling activities.
Presidential Statement
In his statement, President Marcos emphasized: “As of today, all POGOs are prohibited. I am directing PAGCOR to wind down and cease POGO operations by the end of the year.” The President noted that POGOs, masquerading as legitimate organizations, have infiltrated areas far removed from gambling, including financial fraud, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping and even murder.
In other news from Asia, three Macau gaming operators have been affected by the recent Microsoft outage. However, this glitch only affected operators' internal office computers and not gaming machines.
