Recently, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos announced a total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in his 2024 State of the Nation Address. He pointed out that POGO has been involved in illegal activities such as fraud, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture and even murder.

Don’t panic! Before interpreting Marcos’s words, we need to get more comprehensive information. Let’s look at the news from another angle:

PAGCOR renames POGOs, licenses issued more strictly

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has issued a total of 40 licenses to offshore gaming operators (formerly POGOs), which are now known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs).

It is equivalent to POGO turning into IGL and being resurrected.

Look at another one:

Covering one's ears and stealing the bell? Philippine offshore gaming license POGO renamed IGL

The Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR will require licensed companies to reapply for gaming licenses in accordance with new specifications in 2023, and announced at a summit in the same year that POGO was officially renamed IGL.

After breaking through the information cocoon, we began to formally interpret the content of Xiao Ma’s State of the Union Address in plain language.

Interpretation

1. In the past, the rules of the game were unclear and we couldn’t collect taxes, so we cleared out all the disobedient offshore gaming companies. Now all the remaining companies must follow the new tax rules. Not only will we change the license to one-to-one, we will also directly connect to your backend and monitor every deposit to ensure that you are obedient and do not evade taxes!

2. Maximize the value of "clearing out disobedient companies". The previous kidnappings, robberies and murders were all done by POGOs. They were definitely not caused by the corruption of the Immigration Department from beginning to end, and they were definitely not caused by the police working with criminals from top to bottom. It is definitely not caused by laziness in planning licensing supervision and taxation measures. Anyway, you POGOs are gone, so there’s nothing wrong with helping the incompetent government take the blame, right?

3. POGO’s original name is Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, which means “offshore gaming operators.” When we in the Philippines banned POGO, we banned offshore gaming. Therefore, let’s explain to the big Eastern countries that we have now completely banned offshore gaming. It’s gambling, don’t trouble us in the future; what? And IGL, the resurrected corpse? Our IGL is called Internet gaming license. It does not say offshore. You may be mistaken.

4. 23,000 local Filipino employees? Don't worry, the government will take care of their jobs. I'm just bragging, don't take it seriously.

5. Deport 20,000 foreign employees of disobedient companies (80% are Chinese)? You can repatriate as many as you want. Those who cannot be repatriated and create new social problems are also caused by POGOs.

There are three results of this operation:

1. If it was illegal in the first place, it is still illegal. Anyway, such companies themselves have no licenses, their offices are not legal, and their employees are also working illegally. Giving some money or going to the industrial park can still keep you safe. If you should not arrest them, you should not arrest them. If you should not arrest them, you should not arrest them.

2. POGOs that were legal but disobedient should be detained and deported; 20,000 overseas employees will lose their jobs, and those who cannot afford food will definitely kidnap, rob, and kill again. New social problems will definitely arise. Should the police be incompetent? Incompetent, don't go out and wander around if you have nothing to do;

3. POGO, who was originally legal but obedient, has returned to life as IGL. It does not affect him at all and continues to play music and dance.