The chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Monday there are still around 100 illegal POGOs in operation across the Philippines, but expressed confidence that authorities would be able to shut them all down.
According to comments made by Gilbert Cruz in an interview, the illegal POGOs are being monitored and progress is being made following the previously announced ban on all offshore gaming operations by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Many have also closed based on the report given by PAGCOR, while others are continuously winding down their operations,” Cruz said according to the Inquirer. “We are still monitoring a few POGOs left. Before, there were about 200, but now there are only around 100.”
Cruz also promised to track down these offshore operators even if they were to split into smaller groups to avoid detection.
“Even if they hide into smaller groups, the indicators are still there – they operate at night because of the time zone. Even if they split into smaller units, we can catch them,” he explained.
Marcos promised during his State of the Nation Address in July to shut down all POGOs by 1 January 2025. Around 3,000 POGO workers were recently reported to have already left the Philippines.
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