There are still 47 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOS) operating in the Philippines, said Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday.
According to a report by state-run Philippine News Agency, the DILG will visit these organizations from 15 December to determine whether or not they are in the process of winding down their operations. All POGOs and associated companies are required to cease operations by 31 December, with a complete ban on the offshore gaming industry to take effect from 1 January 2025 as per an Executive Order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“They should show that they are winding down their operations,” said Remulla. “We are also accounting the visas of foreign workers, mostly Chinese nationals. These two are interconnected. Once POGOs cease operations, they should leave the country because they do not have a valid working visa anymore.
“We are mounting guerrilla operations because some Filipinos have learned to set up their own POGO firms. These are smaller in scale. But one thing is clear, if you have a POGO license, you should wind down operations by 15 December, and by 31 December you must close shop.”
The revelation that many POGOs are still operating comes after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said earlier this week that it expects around 20,000 former POGO workers to depart the country by the end of the month.
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