Senate President questions government's double standard on gambling policies: Why ban POGO but allow PIGO?

The Philippine government has completely banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), but Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is puzzled why the government still allows "Philippine Inland Gaming Operators" (PIGO) to operate, and suggests considering a ban on PIGO as well.

PIGO refers to licensed gaming institutions that provide online gambling services to local Filipino users, while POGO is specifically for foreign users, especially those from countries like China where gambling is prohibited.

Zubiri pointed out that since the government has already determined that POGO is harmful to society and has completely banned it, why is PIGO still allowed to exist?

"PIGO causes losses to Filipinos, not foreigners. Moreover, many operators previously involved in POGO may have now transformed into PIGO to continue their operations," he said.

As early as last year, Zubiri had stated that the government should establish a comprehensive policy to prohibit online gambling. He emphasized that POGO was banned in the past due to involvement in human trafficking, fraud, and other criminal issues, but these companies often only need to change their registration status to continue operating in different forms.

"PIGO might present the same social issues as POGO, or even have a more direct impact, as the victims are Filipino nationals rather than foreigners," he said in his speech on Thursday.

Zubiri urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to reassess its gaming license system, even though PIGO is a source of government revenue.

"If the government can give up the tax revenue from POGO, there is no reason not to take the same measures against PIGO, especially when PIGO poses a threat to the Filipino people," he said.

He also mentioned that he will request the government to provide detailed data to understand how much revenue PIGO contributes to the country each year, to further discuss its legitimacy.

Additionally, the Senate President warned that although the government has announced a complete ban on POGO, there are still news reports indicating that law enforcement agencies are finding secretly operated POGO hubs months after the ban took effect. He called for enhanced coordination and cooperation among government agencies to ensure the thorough implementation of the ban.

"The government should have a complete list, clearly knowing how many people and which companies were approved to operate POGO, to ensure they do not continue operating under a different name," Zubiri emphasized. To prevent POGO from making a comeback under a future new president, the legislative body should enact formal laws to completely block policy loopholes.