Although the President of the Philippines has ordered the closure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) operations under his jurisdiction, the Philippine Gaming Regulatory Commission (PAGCOR) still hopes to launch "some upgraded version" of POGO operations. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chief Alejandro H. Tenko made the comments while addressing the House Appropriations Committee, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
“While the president has ordered all operations to be closed through the end of the year, who knows, maybe in the future we can look at it and see if some sort of upgraded version is possible,” the executive said.
When asked about the possibility of launching a "better version of POGO... to boost the economy," Tenko pointed out that PAGCOR was already making improvements before the president issued the offshore gaming ban - converting offshore gaming licenses to (IGL, formerly known as POGO) number was reduced from nearly 300 to 43.
Tenko also noted that all 43 licensed IGLs are operating in compliance with the law.
“I firmly believe that before the president’s announcement, these 43 legal operators were operating legally, generating revenue for government coffers and providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people directly or indirectly,” the executive said, the report quoted him as saying.
Tenko also said that PAGCOR has been working to exempt companies engaged in special business process outsourcing (SBPO) from the ban because these companies do not directly handle bets. The official said the move could save up to 10,000 jobs.
