The Philippines Senate has passed the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, institutionalizing the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.
The bill was met with zero negative votes and zero abstentions on its third and final reading by the Senate on Monday. It comes even after the Philippines outlawed POGO activities by Executive Order from December 31st of 2024.
The bill was prepared by the Committees on Ways and Means and Labor Employment and Human Resources Development, and authored by Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Bong Go, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano and Grace Poe.
The new legislation repeals Republic Act 11590 under which offshore gaming was legalized.
Speaking of the bill, Senator Gatchalian noted that “This isn’t just a law, it’s the people’s demand to end the POGO menace”.
The new bill prohibits ‘any person or entity to conduct or offer offshore gaming’, including establishing offshore gaming in the country; accepting ‘any form of betting for offshore gaming operations’; ‘acting as a POGO gaming content provider or POGO service provider’; creating POGO hubs or POGO sites in the Philippines and introducing, using or possessing POGO gaming equipment.
It further prohibits registering companies used to ‘conceal offshore gaming operations’ leasing properties, vehicles, computer systems or digital platforms for the use in the prohibited acts; as well as prohibiting the assistance of entry or exit to the country for individuals using fake or inaccurate travel documents for the purpose of POGO activities.
The bill revokes all power for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and other authorities to license or permit offshore gaming.
The penalties for breaking the law rise up to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of up to PHP50 million ($896,000). In the case that the offender is a public official or employee, ‘the maximum of the applicable penalty shall be imposed’. For foreigners, they shall be deported after serving their sentence and be forever barred from re-entering the Philippines.
In addition, the bill mandates that all ‘POGO buildings or other structures or facilities, materials, POGO gaming equipment, and POGO gaming paraphernalia’ used in violation of the act, along with proceeds, ‘shall be forfeited in favor of the government’. The related POGO gaming equipment and POGO gaming paraphernalia ‘shall be destroyed by the seizing authority’.
