Philippine anti-offshore gaming bill passes third reading
Senate Bill 2868 would repeal Republic Act 11590, which legalised offshore gaming in the country.
The Philippines.- Senate Bill No. 2868, or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025 has passed its third and final reading. The bill, which would institutionalise the ban on offshore gaming operators, has now been sent to the House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation would repeal Republic Act (RA) 11590, which legalised offshore gaming. It mandates the forfeiture of all offshore gaming-related properties and equipment to prevent their reuse in illegal operations.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and principal author of the measure, said: “The measure not only bans offshore gaming operations but also builds safeguards for our people. The welfare of the people should not be compromised for profit from illegal and dirty business.”
89 deported from the Philippines for alleged links to offshore gambling
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has reported that 77 Vietnamese citizens and 12 South Koreans have been deported for alleged links to illegal offshore gaming operators.
Gilbert Cruz, PAOCC executive director, said those deported were arrested in a series of raids and that 51 more foreign nationals would be deported in the coming days following the issuance of implementation orders from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
A delegation led by Cruz travelled to Vietnam and met with colonel Le Khac Son, the deputy director of Vietnam’s Criminal Police Department, to enhance cooperative efforts.
