Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators: Regulation in 2025SEO

Over the past decade, there’s been some ups and downs in the Philippines offshore gaming operator (POGO) industry. These fluctuations have been caused by a number of things. For example, regulatory changes, economic factors, and societal impacts.

It’s 2025 already. If you’re a stakeholder or just a casual observer, you should understand how POGOs have evolved. You might want to also learn about the current regulations as well as possible challenges ahead. Interested? Quickly, let’s talk about all of this.

Understanding Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators

So, what is the Philippines offshore gaming operator? Simply put, a Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) is a company that gets permission from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to run online gambling services for people outside the Philippines. That’s the basic Philippines offshore gaming operator meaning.

The government started the POGO program back in 2016 when Rodrigo Duterte was president. They wanted to cash in on the booming online gaming market by targeting overseas players, mostly from China where gambling is mostly banned.

Rise and Growth of POGOs

After the Philippines offshore gaming operator program started, operators rushed in. By 2019, almost 300 licensed operations were up and running, mostly backed by Chinese money and based in Metro Manila.

POGOs became a big deal for the Philippine economy. The industry took up about 800,000 square meters of office space, beating out traditional call centers and outsourcing businesses in the demand for office space.

Regulatory Shifts and Crackdowns

Even though POGOs helped the economy, they got tangled up in lots of problems. There were claims about tax dodging, criminal activities, and even human trafficking.

The government had to step in with stricter rules. So by the end of 2023, things were quite different. POGOs operating in the country were reduced to just about 75. The enhanced regulatory measures were indeed taking effect.

As if the regulations weren’t enough, the government wasn’t done yet. On July 22, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a nationwide ban on POGOs during his State of the Nation Address.

In his words, ‘‘Their activities have ventured into illicit areas, furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping,brutal torture, and murder.’’

Then on November 5, Executive Order No. 74 came out, ordering all POGOs to shut down by December 31, 2024.

Industry Challenges Post-Ban

The sudden shutdown of POGOs created some serious problems:

Economic Impact: When POGOs left, they emptied out huge office spaces, causing potential losses in rent money. Leechiu Property Consultants reported that POGOs abandoned 630,000 square meters of office space from 2020 to the third quarter of 2022.
Employment Problems: Thousands of workers, both Filipino and foreign, lost their jobs. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had to help find new jobs for affected Filipino workers.
Illegal Operations and Crime: Despite the ban, some illegal gambling operations have kept going. In February 2025, authorities arrested over 450 people in a raid on what they suspected was a Chinese-run scam center.

Future Outlook and Adaptation

While the POGO ban has hit offshore gaming hard, the Philippine gambling industry as a whole is still going strong. In 2024, the industry made record money — over 350 billion pesos (about $6.03 billion).

According to Alejandro Tengco, Chairman of PAGCOR, ‘‘Our GGR for the year, I think it’s over 350 billion pesos,’’ he said.

This growth was largely due to the electronic gaming sector and integrated casino resorts in Manila. It attracted international clientele from countries like China, Japan, and South Korea.

In 2025, PAGCOR projects a 17% increase in gambling revenues. The gaming regulator expects gross gaming revenues between 450 and 480 billion pesos. This outlook is hopeful, thanks to the continued growth of electronic gaming and the performance of integrated resorts. PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco believes these developments would be of great support to the national budget and economy.

Filipinos new to electronic gaming can easily be a part of it. One great way to start is to find casinos in the country with the best minimum deposit. You can consult casino review sites to discover a handful of gambling sites with as low as Php 50 minimum deposit. These casinos are perfect entry points into online gambling.

Wrapping Up

For those who followed Philippines offshore gaming operator news, you already know how things have changed. With the 2024 ban now fully implemented, Philippine gaming has a different shape today.

Despite regional competition from emerging markets, traditional gaming sectors have proved to be pretty resilient, closing the revenue gap. So, while no more offshore operations targeting foreign markets, domestic gaming seems like it will do just fine on its own.