From POGOs to PIGOS: Is the government breeding the same evil?

GMA Network

25-07-2025

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) was already running for close to an hour and a half before what appeared like a hushed audience when he announced, 'Effective today, all POGOs are banned.
It certainly became the highlight of his report to the nation, drawing cheers and a standing ovation from many lawmakers and guests.
Marcos had said POGOs had ventured into illicit areas such as scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and murder.
Four months later, on November 8, 2024, he would issue Executive Order No. 74 that banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) effective December 31, 2024 . The order covered illegal offshore gaming operations, license applications, license renewals, and cessation of operations.
But concerns are emerging that the Philippine Inland Gaming Operators (PIGOs), which were seen to help shore up the gaming revenue and employment gap that resulted from the POGO departure, are causing their own problems.
No less than Senate President Francis Escudero had said that Pigos should be subjected to scrutiny.
In contrast to POGOs that target the international market, PIGOs are licensed operators offering online gambling platforms to users in the Philippines.
According to the International Masters in Gaming Law, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) started issuing PIGO licenses in 2020, where services were then aimed exclusively at VIP players already on the gaming regulator's player database.
GMA News Online has reached out to PAGCOR for confirmation and will update once it responds.
Though PAGCOR did not disclose the revenue specifically attributed to PIGOs, data showed that the gaming industry posted a gaming revenue (GGR) of P372.33 billion in 2024.
Of this, P201.83 billion is from land-based casinos, P154.51 billion is from e-games and e-bingo, and P15.97 billion is from PAGCOR-operated casinos.
"We partly attribute the strong performance of the local gaming industry to the strategic policy adjustments that we have implemented, such as the gradual reduction of fee rates for E-Games since 2023," PAGCOR chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco said.
"At the time, PAGCOR was collecting between 50% to 55% license fees, thus deterring expansion, but effective January 1, 2025, our fee rates for E-Games stand at only 30% of GGR," he added.
Review
Some government officials, however, are concerned about the possible effects of PIGOs, including Escudero, who has called for a review of their operations.
In March, Escudero warned that POGOs may have simply rebranded as PIGOs to continue their operations.
'Kung ipinagbawal nga natin ang POGO kaugnay ng pagsusugal ng dayuhan, hindi ba dapat lalo 'yung pagsusugal na Pilipino mismo? Definitely, it cannot go on this way,' Escudero had said.
(If we banned POGO that is connected with foreign gambling, shouldn't we prohibit gambling among Filipinos themselves all the more? Definitely, it cannot go on this way.)
'Three bills or four bills have been filed to either ban or regulate Philippine inland gaming. We will pursue those bills and make sure that they lead to a floor debate and plenary vote on the matter,' he added.
Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, urged the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, e-wallet companies and other financial service providers to immediately cut off access to online gambling platforms and plug loopholes being exploited by operators.
Ejercito said the BSP can issue a circular imposing stricter regulations on these platforms to prevent minors from accessing online gambling.
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director Gilbert Cruz, however, said there are currently no reports of POGOs that have rebranded as PIGOs.
'Hindi naman. Magkaiba naman 'yun. 'Yung isa offshore, 'yung isa domestic,' he told GMA News Online.
(Not really. Those are different things. One is offshore and one is domestic.)
He said authorities are still looking into whether PIGOs will also be completely banned or only regulated.
For its part, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that the government is continuously studying PIGO operations.
"Pinagkumpara po ngayon kung ano iyong nangyari sa POGO at saka sa PIGO. Sa POGO, kaya po siya na-ban/total ban, dahil marami pong nangyayaring krimen because of the POGO. Pero as of now, lumalabas po sa pag-aaral ay hindi po ito nakakagawa ng krimen—hindi siya nagiging cause or hindi siya iyong nagiging dahilan, iyong PIGO, para makagawa ng krimen," she said.
(What happened to POGO is being compared with PIGO. POGO was totally banned because of the crimes related to it. But as now, it was revealed in a study that PIGO is not related to crimes, it is not the cause or does not lead to the commission of any crime.)
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) described online gambling as a serious moral issue disguised as entertainment and technology.
'Sa pagsusugal ang konsensiya ay unti-unting nagiging manhid. Tinuturuan tayong isipin na ito ay normal, pampasaya, o wala namang masama,' CBCP said.
(With gambling, the conscience gradually becomes numb. We are taught to think that it is normal, fun, or that there is nothing wrong with it.)
Calling it 'bagong salot' or new plague, the Filipino bishops noted that online gambling has become a public health crisis that not only destroys a person but also a family's relationship.
'Hindi natin matiis na manahimik sapagkat ang pagkasugapa at ang pagiging talamak ng sugal ay salot, isang virus na sumisira at pumapatay sa mga indibidwal, pamilya at lipunan,' CBCP said.
(We cannot afford to remain silent because addiction and the prevalence of gambling are a plague, a virus that destroys and kills individuals, families and societies.)
The prelates also urged the government to impose appropriate regulations on online payment systems to restrict the public, especially the youth, from using them for online gambling.
'Nais naming magpa-alala na tayo'y makakaalpas sa pagkaalipin sa pamamagitan ng marangal na trabaho, at sa patuloy na pagtahak ng landas ng katotohanan, kabutihan, katarungan, at higit sa lahat sa biyaya ng Diyos,' CBCP said.
(We remind everyone that we can break free from addiction through honest work, by continuing to walk the path of truth, goodness, and justice — and above all, the grace of God.) —LDF/RSJ, GMA Integrated News