Philippine President Announces Ban on Offshore Gambling Operations

MANILA, Philippines (July 26, 2024) —President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines has banned offshore gambling operators, targeting an industry heavily influenced by Chinese firms and marred by criminal activities. In his State of the Nation address, Marcos received a standing ovation and emphasized the need to stop the “grave abuse and disrespect” of the country’s laws. He highlighted that these operations, masquerading as legitimate entities, have expanded into areas such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and even murder.

This ban arrives amid escalating tensions with China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Although the Chinese Embassy in Manila has not commented immediately, it previously urged the Philippines to ban online gaming to support China’s crackdown on cross-border gambling. Beijing has denied any governmental links to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), which primarily target Chinese customers despite gambling being illegal in China.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, leading an investigation into POGOs’ connections to criminal syndicates, hailed Marcos’s decision as a national victory, citing the social ills brought by these operations. Gaming regulator chief Alejandro Tengco noted that 250 to 300 offshore gambling firms operate without licenses in the Philippines, vastly outnumbering the 46 legitimate operators. The online gaming industry, which began in 2016 under President Rodrigo Duterte, employed around 25,000 Filipinos and nearly 23,000 foreigners by the end of 2023.

SOURCE: LI Staff Report.