The regulator has asked people not to use the term POGO to refer to illegal online gambling operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Philippines.- A linguistic battle has broken out in the Philippines after the arrests of Chinese citizens<\/a> allegedly involved in illegal online gaming. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) has clarified that Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs)<\/strong> are licensed operators and so the term should not be used to refer to illegal operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PAGCOR chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco<\/strong> said: “The agency emphasizes that any person, group or entity that operates online gambling without approval from PAGCOR should not be categorized as POGO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAny gaming entity that fails to pass the application process for an offshore gaming license cannot be labelled as POGO.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are currently 34 PAGCOR-approved POGO operators, 127 accredited service providers and five special categories of business process outsourcing. The regulator has revoked the licences<\/a> of 175 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)<\/strong> who together employed around 40,000 Chinese nationals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla <\/strong>said that starting from October 1, the government would deport 281 Chinese citizens<\/a> who were illegally employed by online gambling operators. The Philippines now expects 3,000 to 4,000 more to be repatriated by mid-October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Sherwin Gatchalian<\/strong> has announced that the Senate committee on ways and means, which he heads, will hold a hearing to explore what economic impact a ban on POGOs could have for the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhilippine Senate committee to study potential impact of banning POGOs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n