PHILIPPINE Offshore Gaming Operators, commonly known as Pogos, offer online gambling services such as electronic casino and sports betting, among others, only to customers outside the country. Most of its clients were Chinese since gambling is generally illegal in China, except for state-run lotteries. Players make bets and receive payouts through various online financial platforms.
While Pogos began their operation in the Philippines in 2003, they went vigorous starting in 2016 when the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte relaxed the country’s internet gambling policies with consideration to revenue and creation of more jobs for Filipinos. Before they could operate, Pogos are required to obtain a license to operate from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). There are three categories in which first is where dealers do online games through live streaming, while the second and third are subsectors of Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) that focus on back-office services through an actual office space.
Pagcor said the number of licensed Pogos in the country peaked to more than 300 in 2019, generating more than P7 billion in license fees. This has also resulted in the massive arrival of Chinese nationals in the country to work in Pogo. A significant number was undocumented.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that in 2019, of the over 118,000 workers of Pogo, only 21,000 were Filipinos. The Pogo industry in the country, however.