PAGCOR Debunks Fake Memo on POGO Ban
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has advised the public to be cautious and verify the authenticity of any information claiming to originate from its management or officials to avoid misinformation.
The President directed PAGCOR to “wind down and cease POGO operations by the end of the year. (Krisia, Pexels)
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has drawn attention to a fake memorandum in circulation falsely ordering local government units to close down Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) by the first week of August. The actual deadline, however, is the end of 2024.
The fake memo circulating is a counterfeit version of a genuine memorandum that PAGCOR issued on July 23, a day after the President's State of the Nation Address.
We have not issued a memorandum ordering LGUs to immediately close down POGO operations in their jurisdiction because the President’s order is very clear: We have until the end of the year to wind down POGO operations, and we will follow that.We reiterate, and we advise our LGUs, that licensed IGLs can continue operating until we have determined the process of winding down their operations, which we currently have not yet finalised.
More Regulation News
End of the Road for POGOs in the Phillipines
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the ban on POGOs in his third State of the Nation (SONA) last week. The President directed PAGCOR to “wind down and cease POGO operations by the end of the year.”
As such, all online gaming entities, reclassified as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL), are required to terminate their operations and withdraw from the Philippines within the year.
This ban was a response to the growing concerns over the illegal activities associated with POGOs, including financial scams, money laundering, and human rights violations such as human trafficking and kidnapping.
Understandably, the ban has been met with divided reactions. Critics of the ban are concerned about the potential loss of revenue and its potential to make the process of regulating and monitoring existing POGOs more challenging.
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