More than 18 months ago, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) and ordered them to shut down by December 2024. But with pockets of illegal activity remaining, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered law enforcement to step up its campaign to quash the illicit industry.
“I have already instructed concerned police offices to intensify patrols along backdoor routes that may be exploited by syndicates to continue their illegal POGO operations,” said Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr, acting PNP chief, in a statement on Monday.
The rise and fall of POGOs
Starting in the early 2000s, POGOs offered online casino games, sports betting and lottery play to patrons outside the Philippines, primarily in China, where gambling is illegal. The licensed industry boomed under former president Rodrigo Duterte. In 2023, it contributed an estimated PHP35 billion (US$570 million) in direct and indirect revenue to the domestic economy.
But eventually POGOs were unveiled as scam centres. They profited from cyberfraud, including online love and crypto scams. After a number of high-profile raids of POGOs compounds, workers said they had been promised good-paying jobs, only to be forced to work for low or no compensation under threat of physical abuse.
Despite the 2024 ban and the subsequent delicensing of POGO operations, the industry is alive and well and soliciting Filipino workers. In one case, operators lured job-seekers to “POGO-like” operations in Cambodia, promising them $1,000 a month. The victims, escorted by boat to Phnom Penh, were compelled to work as online romance scammers for just $300 a month.
That recruitment continues, said Nartatez. Workers reportedly travel via “back-door” sea passages from Palawan Island, Philippines to Sabah, Borneo. From there, they venture overland through Malaysia, “with final destinations believed to be in Myawaddy, Myanmar, or Phnom Penh”, he said. “We are working with the intelligence community and our foreign counterparts in relation to this information.”
On the hunt for POGO fugitives
The Philippines has been aggressive in the pursuit and prosecution of POGO operatives, including several high-ranking officials.
Last month, former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo was convicted of human trafficking at a POGO centre in that rural community. Hers was the first conviction under a “qualified” trafficking statute. The new law allows the prosecution of people who “organise and direct others” to enslave workers, even if they are not directly involved. Guo was sentenced to life in prison.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice offered a PHP1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Cassandra Li Ong, a key figure in the operation of the Lucky 99 South POGO compound in Pampanga. Ong, who is reportedly in Japan, could face similar qualified trafficking charges.
In addition, officials have asked Interpol to help apprehend Harry Roque, an attorney and onetime Duterte spokesman who acted as legal representative for Lucky 99 South and Ong. Roque claims he is the victim of political persecution. Last seen in Vienna, he is seeking asylum in the Netherlands.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/gaming/online-casino/philippines-police-increase-efforts-crush-remaining-pogos/
