Authorities in the Philippines have declared that the country is now completely rid of the remnants of offshore gaming operators, known as POGOs.
Before July 2024, online gaming operators were able to base themselves in the Philippines but serve overseas markets such as China.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr changed that in his 2024 State of the Nation Address, however, announcing that he would be outlawing the practice of POGOs due to their links to criminal activities.
He stated that they had ‘ventured into illicit areas beyond gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture and even murder’, and a deadline of the end of 2024 was set for the closure of such operations.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida told The Manila Times on Monday (6 April) that ‘there are no official POGOs left’ and ‘no illegal POGOs either’, indicating the success of a crackdown on the sector by the government.
The end of the POGO era
POGO operations began to emerge in 2003 after the Philippines offered a home to Chinese gaming operators impacted by the Chinese government’s decision to implement a blanket ban on gambling in Mainland China.
The sector then rapidly expanded in 2016 after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) began to offer licences for operators. At its peak in 2019, the Philippines’ POGO industry numbered over 300 licence holders, contributed over P100bn (£1.25bn) in tax revenue to the state and employed tens of thousands of Filipino workers.
However, throughout the rise of POGOs, concerns had emerged over alleged criminal activity taking place, leading to calls for a prohibition of the sector, which were eventually heeded by President Marcos Jr.
One of the most prominent cases of criminality linked to POGOs was the actions of Alice Guo, a Chinese national who was sentenced to life in prison in November 2025 for human trafficking following a 2024 raid on a POGO situated on land she owned in the town of Bamban.
Police discovered over 700 Filipino and foreign nationals, many of whom stated that they had been forced to take part in online scams. Further investigations also found that Guo had faked her Filipino citizenship to become elected as Mayor of Bamban.
A statement from the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) released following the ruling said: “Guo’s power, wealth and public persona were built entirely on human trafficking, online scam operations and a fabricated identity.”
“This eagerly awaited ruling is not only a legal victory but also a moral one. It delivers justice to victims, reaffirms the government’s united stance against organised crime and marks a defining moment in the country’s fight against large-scale trafficking and online scam syndicates.”
A new chapter for the Philippine market
A year on from the official end of POGOs, the PAOCC is still pursuing cases linked to members of dismantled POGO networks, underscoring the extent of criminality that allegedly pervaded through these operations.
Gambling remains a key economic contributor to the Philippine economy, but regulated online gaming is now limited to inland operators (PIGOs) and is overseen by PAGCOR.
In 2025, online gaming activity generated revenues of P53.3bn (£667.9m) for PAGCOR. However, the regulator noted an overall decline of 5% in revenues, in part caused by the offshore gaming ban, as the sector contributed almost P3bn (£37.6m) in revenue in 2024.
Following the government’s action against POGOs, attention has now shifted to strengthening oversight of the regulated industry, as well as tackling the country’s black market.
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