POGOs Crackdown Forces 20,000 Workers Out of Philippines

Earlier this week, Ferdinand Marcos, the President of the Philippines, announced the blanket ban on all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). The tough enforcement came amidst rising concerns about POGOs ties with unlawful activities.

The announced tough enforcement complements the ongoing crackdown on Philippine-based illegal gambling operators targeting Chinese citizens. In fact, the recent ban is in line with China’s ongoing efforts against unlawful activity and it comes at a time when the country has repeatedly encouraged the Philippines to take action against cross-border gambling operations.

Not even a week after the Philippine President’s ban on POGOs, the country issued orders against some 20,000 foreigners, employed by such gambling firms, asking to leave. Usually, offshore gambling operators are owned by Chinese residents but operated in the Philippines because of the eased restrictions.

However, the recent ban and order effectively means that all those workers will need to leave the Philippines. The country had given the 20,000 employees, most of whom are Chinese, 60 days to leave. Failure to comply with the order would result in the deportation of those workers.

The Ban Helps Combat Criminal Activities
The recently announced tough enforcement doesn’t come as a surprise, considering the rising number of cases that connected POGOs to criminal activities. In some cases, the operators were involved in money laundering, illegal gambling, scams, fraud and identity theft. In others, POGOs were linked to murder, kidnapping, torture, prostitution and human trafficking.

Fighting unlawful activities, the Philippines helped rescue thousands of trafficked workers who had been lured with promises of employment. In reality, those people were forced to work in illegal operations that involved fraud and scams. They would also be threatened with violence if they attempted to flee or uncover the unlawful operation.

Benedikt Hofmann, a deputy regional representative for South-East Asia and the Pacific for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, who was recently quoted by ABC, acknowledged the importance of the POGOs ban.

He explained: “The Philippines’ move to ban POGOs will certainly have an impact as it removes the thin layer of legality used by many illegal operators to shield themselves from scrutiny and enforcement.”

Despite the efforts, Hofmann shared his concerns that unlawful activities such as scam centers will “push further underground.” According to the expert, those operations may focus on countries in the region that have weaker enforcement of regulations.