Filipino President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act 12312, also known as the Anti‑POGO Act of 2025, which officially outlaws the controversial Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) — and revokes all remaining licences with immediate effect.
All offshore gaming activities are now classified as “unlawful” under the country’s Anti‑Money Laundering Act.
The bill, signed “in camera” on October 23, was made public on October 29.
Penalties for violators include fines and prison terms. For first‑time offenders, this could mean six- to eight-years in prison and fines of ₱300,000 (£3,870) to ₱15 million (£193,500). Repeat offenders risk up to 12-years in prison and ₱50 million (£645,000) in sanctions.
If the violator is a foreign resident, they will be permanently barred from returning to The Philippines.
The Act formalises the shutdown of the once‑lucrative POGO industry–estimated to generate ₱166.5 billion (£2.2bn) in revenue annually–first ordered by President Marcos Jr. in November 2024.
There is widespread opposition to POGOs, as they have been linked to organised crime, financial crime, illegal labour, and widespread exploitation.
Rise and Fall Of POGOs
The POGO industry was legalised in 2007 under the Philippine Offshore Gaming Act – Republic Act 9487.
But it really took off in 2021 when then-President Rodrigo Duterte passed RA 11590, which licensed and taxed the platforms under the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), sparking a boom that transformed the sector overnight.
At its peak, there were around 400 regulated POGOs, with hundreds of service providers facilitating their operations. The sector employed some 40,000 people.
But by December 2024–one month after President Marcos Jr.’s executive order for all POGOs to cease operating–only seven remained.
With POGOs out, what remains is the Philippine Inland Gaming Operators (PIGOs), a licensing category for casinos and online platforms targeting domestic players, launched in 2020.
At the last count in March 2025, PAGCOR reported that 61 PIGO licences had been issued.
Reactions
Filipino lawmakers have celebrated the legal development, with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian–a key vocal opponent of the POGO industry–saying: “POGOs have brought nothing but a surge in criminality that includes kidnapping, human trafficking, and prostitution, among others. This law isn’t just an economic issue but a moral imperative.”
House Representative Eddie Villanueva–one of the authors of the House version of the law and founder of the Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption Party–called its passage “a long-awaited moral and social victory”.
Rising Tension
The Anti‑POGO Act comes amid growing pressure from government factions, like the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, to tighten control over online gambling, or even ban it entirely.
Recent measures, including a minimum deposit threshold and the ban on e-wallet integration–introduced in August–have, according to PAGCOR, contributed to a sharp drop in revenue and pushed players toward unregulated operators, which, despite the ban, remain active.
During a House Committee on Games and Amusements hearing last Wednesday (October 22)–called to discuss more stringent measures and a potential ban–PAGCOR Offshore Gaming Licensing Department Assistant Vice‑President Jessa Fernandez told attendees that the regulator’s revenue had been slashed by 49 per cent since August.
As PAGCOR revenue is derived from tax, the decline indicates a substantial reduction in domestic player spending.
Fernandez said the minimum deposit requirement of ₱500 (£6.40) caused players to abandon the legal market, adding that before the minimum threshold, many deposited between ₱100 and ₱500 (£1.28–£6.40), highlighting the policy’s significant impact on the market.
