The Philippines plans to initiate two major crackdowns on the online gambling industry.
Meanwhile, the House Committee on Human Rights Chairman supported the POGO ban, citing that, despite the tax revenue generated from these operations, the recurring issues indicate that their social harm persists and remains unaddressed.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has announced that it is preparing to launch two large-scale operations targeting the Philippine online gambling industry. The goal is not only to disrupt these operations but also to arrest individuals involved.
The announcement was shared by the Chinese-language Philippine newspaper Chinese Commercial News on Friday, citing an interview on the state-owned PTV-4. Winston Casio, the spokesperson for the PAOCC, did not provide details about the crackdown, including whether the targets are solely online gaming operations, POGOs, or even the so-called scam centers.
According to the report, Casio stated that the agency is awaiting reports from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) regarding recent raids on online gambling hubs conducted over the past few weeks.
The official mentioned that, despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to ban POGOs, online gambling operators continue to operate in the country. In response, the PAOCC has established a task force to plan a large-scale crackdown on these operators. The task force includes members from the PAOCC, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the NBI, the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Casio said, “We are planning to carry out two major operations in the coming weeks. We will follow the necessary legal procedures to truly eliminate them, not just disrupt their operations. This way, we can arrest them, file charges, deport them, and confiscate their assets.”
Casio stated that illegal POGOs remain a problem as they continue to operate in a “guerrilla” manner. However, he indicates that the good news is that online gambling companies that were operating legally before the president’s directive have started to cease operations. Foreign nationals working in online gambling have also begun to voluntarily leave the Philippines.
He also mentioned that communication with several foreign embassies revealed an increase in the number of foreign nationals applying for travel documents, indicating that many are leaving the country voluntarily.
In addition, House Committee on Human Rights Chairman Rep. Benny Abante Jr., speaking to ANC News, defended the POGO ban as he compared the POGO crackdown to the country’s ongoing drug war probe.
He noted that he doesn’t believe many people need to be killed to eradicate drugs. In fact, even without mass killings, drugs still exist, and so does illegal gambling. Abante mentioned that some opinions suggest that these issues will continue to recur. Therefore, even if some tax revenue is generated from these activities, their social harm is not actually eliminated.
