Filipino law enforcement officers liberated forty foreign laborers from an illicit POGO operation.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) cautioned that the fate of the entire Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) industry could be in jeopardy following the rescue of forty immigrant workers who were abducted and compelled to work for an illicit POGO operation.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) freed the forty foreigners from an illegal POGO firm in Angeles City. Pagcor asserted that the workers were kidnapped and coerced into working for the organization.
POGOs are operators based in the Philippines that target clients from other nations, typically other Asian nations such as China. In recent years, the industry has encountered numerous controversies involving alleged violations of Philippine laws and regulations of other countries.
The Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Benjamin Abalos, stated that the outcome of the operation was a result of the successful collaboration between multiple government agencies, including the PNP, DILG, Department of Justice, Pagcor, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which have been collaborating to combat POGO-related human trafficking throughout the nation.
Subsequent to the surprise attack, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) issued a formal directive to cease all illicit online wagering activities.
Aballos, commenting on the action taken, stated, “Our officers are pursuing other individuals implicated, and the case remains under examination. The apprehended individual was a human resources development officer, thus we believe there may be higher-ranking individuals still at liberty.”
Aballos also highlighted the differentiation between legal and illegal online gambling.
“We are closing down this illicit establishment. However, it must be understood that we have no objection to legal online wagering. In fact, we have no issue with their regulations or personnel, but unlawful operations have a detrimental effect on the entire sector,” Aballos clarified.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will be accountable for the rescued workers and will scrutinize their documentation and work authorizations.
PAGCOR commenced regulating the online gambling sector in 2016, and the industry has since generated substantial revenue for the government. Nevertheless, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco indicated that even legal online gambling firms could be impacted if issues like human trafficking arise.
“If these abduction incidents and other unlawful activities persist, it is evident that we will not only revoke the licenses of online gambling operators, but the entire industry may be influenced by any decision made by the national administration. Consequently, let us collaborate to address these matters as promptly as possible,” Tengco remarked.
The Philippine administration has granted the police a fortnight to cease all illicit online gaming ventures nationwide.
Senator Villanueva has put forward a legislative proposal to prohibit all forms of online gambling within the Philippines.
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