A Philippine house committee has approved two measures which aim to ban all Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) – formerly known as POGOs – from operating in the country.
According to a report by the Philippine Star, the House games and amusements committee on Monday approved House Bill 5082, which disbands and claims as illegal all POGO operations in the country, as well as House Resolution 1197, which calls for a government ban on POGO operations.
The measures are in response to serious criminal activities linked to offshore gaming operators, ranging from cryptocurrency investment scams to serious illegal detention and human trafficking. A number of POGO operators have been subject to raids and subsequently shut down over the past year, while some cities have opted to ban POGOs from operating within their limits as a result of criminal activity.
Despite this, gaming regulator PAGCOR has preferred not to shut the industry down but instead try to clean it up. Last July, PAGCOR placed all licensed POGOs under a probationary stance, requiring them to reapply for licenses pending deeper suitability checks. The regulator has also renamed them IGLs.
PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco last week revealed that the number of licensees currently stands at around 75, down from 250 previously.
However, one of the authors of the newly approved bills, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, said offshore operators have been given enough chances.
“The number of victims has increased exponentially,” he said, as per PhilStar. “In other words, there’s no more time to put regulations. We are saying here that there is no more chance for more regulation because five years (was given) to have good regulations, and they have failed.
“Everywhere in our country, newspapers and people (talk about) kidnap for ransom, VIP rooms, massage parlors — people see that. We see that. So it’s about time that we say (this) has failed in this country.”
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