The Philippine gaming promotion industry is experiencing an unprecedented harsh winter. The once relatively relaxed working environment no longer exists, and practitioners are forced to switch to underground working modes. They frequently change office locations and adopt covert working methods, yet they still struggle to evade law enforcement crackdowns.
A recent raid in the Makati Central Business District is quite representative: the Immigration Bureau raided an old stock exchange building, capturing 31 foreign employees suspected of illegal gambling on the spot and immediately initiating deportation procedures.
More surprisingly, even a fire scene can become a breakthrough point for law enforcement—after a residential building in Quezon City caught fire, the police discovered a large number of SIM cards, mass texting devices, and fraud script manuals in the ruins, exposing a hidden telecom fraud den.
Industry giants are in turmoil
The situation of the industry leader AG Group (now renamed PlayAce) is also difficult. The brand restructuring in May 2025 is seen by insiders as a "cicada shedding its shell" move. More seriously, its office in the RCBC Building was raided, leading to a business shutdown and salary arrears. Employees revealed that the company has suspended recruitment and started internal restructuring.
Current practitioners face multiple dilemmas:
Significant reduction in salary levels (base salary reduced to about 7000 pesos)
Complete cancellation of performance bonuses
Work risks have increased significantly
Office locations are frequently inspected
Facing the severe situation, some companies are starting to shift their business, and AG Group is reportedly planning to relocate its business to Thailand. More companies are switching to a work-from-home model to minimize personnel gatherings. Although this transformation reduces the risk of inspections, it also significantly lowers work efficiency, further compressing the income space of practitioners.
The industry, once attractive for its "high income," has now become:
A profession with high risk and low return
An unstable working environment
Constant potential legal risks
People making a living in this gray area are experiencing an unprecedented survival test. Under the harsh winter of the industry, where to go has become a real issue that every practitioner must face.
