There are reports that some operators may circumvent the ban. Foreign workers currently employed by the shuttered Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have been asked to leave the Philippines.
The situation surrounding the recently announced ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) is unfolding. Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco announced that all employees employed by these companies must leave the country within 60 days. The directive also covers employees employed by the Internet Gaming License Holder (IGL), the successor company to POGO.
Previously, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. announced a ban on all POGOs in his third State of the Union address on July 22.
Tansingco estimates that about 20,000 foreign employees will have to leave the Philippines. He also mentioned that the Immigration Department will reject pending and new visa applications related to POGO and IGL employees. The Philippine Immigration Bureau chief added that his office has a list of these employees that it has obtained from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
Meanwhile, PAGCOR is reportedly seeking exemptions from the ban on more than a dozen POGOs, saying that 12 of the country's 43 legal POGOs are merely customer service agents for gaming companies.
A television report by local news program 24 Oras highlighted that PAGCOR said the ban would affect thousands of employees and businesses. POGO and IGL not only employ foreigners, but also directly or indirectly employ thousands of Filipinos. It is estimated that 30,000 to 42,000 people are directly employed, with many more providing ancillary services such as accommodation, catering and travel.
There has been no official statement from PAGCOR on ban exemptions as the regulator's offices have been closed, roads are inundated and most work in the public and private sectors has been suspended as Super Gaemi plunges Metro Manila into flooding.
