PHMABALACAT CITY — The newly installed Pampanga police director on Thursday vowed to go after îllégâl Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) that might be clandestinely operating in the province.
Police Col. Jay Dimaandal said his very first order to all 21 city and municipal police chiefs in Pampanga was to inspect all compounds and buildings in their respective areas of responsibility.
“There might be fenced compounds or buildings that might be hosting or being used as Pogo hubs,” he said.
Dimaandal said the inspection would be done in coordination with the local government units (LGUs). He invoked the power of “police visitation” and the right of LGUs to inspect all commercial establishments in their jurisdictions.
He made the statement while authorities were launching a crackdown on îllégâl Pogos as calls to ban their activities mounted due to their alleged links to criminal syndicates.
Alejandro Tengco, the chair of the state gaming regulator, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), said on Thursday that around 250 to 300 Pogos were operating in the Philippines without a license, six times more than the 46 legitimate operators.
“Together with the police, we search for these îllégâl operators, conduct raids, and shut them down,” Tengco told the Reuters news agency.
The online gaming industry emerged in 2016 and grew exponentially as operators capitalized on the country’s liberal gaming laws to target customers in China, where ******** is banned.
At their peak, Pogos totaled 300 and employed more than 300,000 Chinese workers. But the pandemic and tighter tax rules have forced many to relocate or go underground, Tengco said.
The ongoing crackdown was triggered by reports of Pogo-related crimes such as human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and fraudulent activities like credit card, crypto investment, and “love scams”—when criminals adopt fake online identities to persuade victims to give them money.
Recently, several lawmakers cited possible security threats from Pogos.
Police Col. Jay Dimaandal said his very first order to all 21 city and municipal police chiefs in Pampanga was to inspect all compounds and buildings in their respective areas of responsibility.
“There might be fenced compounds or buildings that might be hosting or being used as Pogo hubs,” he said.
Dimaandal said the inspection would be done in coordination with the local government units (LGUs). He invoked the power of “police visitation” and the right of LGUs to inspect all commercial establishments in their jurisdictions.
He made the statement while authorities were launching a crackdown on îllégâl Pogos as calls to ban their activities mounted due to their alleged links to criminal syndicates.
Alejandro Tengco, the chair of the state gaming regulator, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), said on Thursday that around 250 to 300 Pogos were operating in the Philippines without a license, six times more than the 46 legitimate operators.
“Together with the police, we search for these îllégâl operators, conduct raids, and shut them down,” Tengco told the Reuters news agency.
The online gaming industry emerged in 2016 and grew exponentially as operators capitalized on the country’s liberal gaming laws to target customers in China, where ******** is banned.
At their peak, Pogos totaled 300 and employed more than 300,000 Chinese workers. But the pandemic and tighter tax rules have forced many to relocate or go underground, Tengco said.
The ongoing crackdown was triggered by reports of Pogo-related crimes such as human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and fraudulent activities like credit card, crypto investment, and “love scams”—when criminals adopt fake online identities to persuade victims to give them money.
Recently, several lawmakers cited possible security threats from Pogos.