The future of offshore gambling operations in the Philippines – targeted mainly at customers in China – is in question after the new government here announced a major crackdown this week on illegal online casinos and Chinese overstayers.
The focus on these Philippine offshore gaming operations, or POGOs, intensified after a spate in crimes linked to them such as killings, kidnappings, and prostitution. Lawmakers meanwhile are divided over whether the online gaming should be done away with completely because it generates millions of dollars in revenue.
“Do you want the country to suffer reputational damage – That the Philippines is a nest of foreign syndicates and gamblers? Do you want a breakdown in law and order?” said Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, who pushed for an outright ban on POGOs.
“We should not wait for them to even get stronger and fight the government. Let’s not be too greedy,” he told BenarNews on Wednesday.
The justice department under the new administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Monday that it would close 175 illegal offshore gambling firms and deport some 40,000 Chinese workers who overstayed their visas.
The regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), revoked the operators’ licenses on Sept. 14 because their permits had expired or they had not paid their dues.
POGOs entered the country in 2016 at the start of the term of then-President Rodrigo Duterte and flourished due to loose gaming laws here. Such operations cater largely to customers in mainland China, where gambling for money is banned. At their peak, POGOs hired more than 300,000 Chinese workers.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said it would cooperate with Philippine authorities in the deportation of illegal workers and reiterated its stance against gambling.
“According to the Chinese laws and regulations, gambling in whatever form by Chinese citizens, be it online gambling or gambling overseas is illegal,” the embassy said in a statement Tuesday.
“[We will] continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with the Philippine government and law enforcement agencies in particular in this regard, and handle deportation among other issues in a constructive manner,” it added.
During his six years in office, Duterte sought closer ties with Beijing that led to an influx of Chinese investments, businesses and tourists here.
He had resisted calls to issue an outright ban on Chinese workers, despite increased criminality that police blamed on Chinese syndicates preying on their own countrymen. He left office in late June….BenarNews
Peacock Media Communication 