PAGCOR issues 40 offshore gaming operator licences

POGOs are now called internet gaming licensees (IGL).

The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has announced that it has granted 40 licences to offshore gaming operators, now referred to as internet gaming licensees (IGL). The regulator said it had also issued nine provisional IGLs as of May 15. It comes after PAGCOR’s decision last August to require all Philippine offshore gaming operators, to reapply for licences in compliance with revised regulations.

In April, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged president Marcos to ban offshore gambling operators. Last September, the Committee on Ways and Means in the Philippine Senate signed a report recommending a shutdown. However, PAGCOR’s chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco has underscored the sector’s importance for employment and the property sector.