Philippines Orders Offshore Gaming Workers to Leave by September 24
The circa 20,000 foreigners officially estimated to work for offshore online gaming operators in the Philippines will have their work permits cancelled and will need to leave the country either within 60 days or by September 24 at the latest.
That is according to an order with effect from Friday (July 26) from the country’s Bureau of Immigration, as announced on Wednesday under the authority of its commissioner, Norman Tansingco.
Government Crackdown on Illicit Activities
The order responds to Monday’s statement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) must end their business in the country by year-end.
Marcos stated that these companies, now known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), had operators that “ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder.”
According to a Thursday report in the Philippine Star news outlet, most of the offshore gaming workers affected by the ban have been based in Metro Manila, with some offshore operators also in Laguna, Cavite, and Central Luzon.
Deportations of Foreign Workers from Alleged Scam Hubs
The Philippine Inquirer newspaper reported that Alejandro Tengco, chairman of the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), would consult with Mr. Tansingco to discuss the immigration bureau’s 60-day deadline. President Marcos had given the relevant companies up to December 31 to close down.
The immigration bureau stated on Wednesday it had already deported 2,300 foreigners allegedly working in “scam hubs” run under the guise of gaming companies within the Philippines.
Transition and Regulation Changes
In July last year, Pagcor introduced new regulations for offshore operators, requiring those POGOs still permitted to convert to permits as IGLs. As of July 16, there were 38 IGL permit holders allowed to offer gaming to customers offshore, and seven provisional licensees, according to Pagcor. On Tuesday, Mr. Tengco said that 43 licensees were currently operational.
Official data indicates that 25,064 Filipinos were employed by various POGOs as of the end of 2023, with about 22,000 in the Metro Manila region. The Pagcor leader also mentioned that the Philippine government stood to lose around PHP23 billion (US$393.3 million) a year from licence fees and taxes on offshore operators.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said in June that his department was taking necessary steps to support affected Filipino workers in the event of any ban on offshore gaming operators.
