The offshore gaming industry in the Philippines will be shut down before the end of this year following an edict from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In his third state of the nation address on Monday, President Marcos told lawmakers that “the grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop”.
“It is necessary to stop this disturbance in our society and desecration of our country,” said President Marcos. “Effective today, all POGOs are banned!”
Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) will be given until the end of the year to wind down their operations, with the country’s Department of Labor and Employment ordered to find new jobs for Filipino POGO workers affected by the shutdown.
President Marcos received a standing ovation from lawmakers when he announced the POGOs closure, having been urged by numerous politicians to act against the industry.
“Today, we hear the loud cry of the people against the POGOs,” President Marcos added. “Disguised as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder.
“This [shutdown] will solve many of the problems that we have been encountering, but it will not solve all of them,” President Marcos concluded.
Monday’s announcement by the President follows a pledge by the government of China in October 2023 to work more closely with authorities in the Philippines to combat the POGOs, most of which target Chinese players.
The closure of the POGOs comes amid a thawing of relations between the Philippines and China and was announced on the same day as an agreement between the two countries to deescalate tensions in the South China Sea.