October 29, 2025
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure banning and declaring illegal all offshore gaming operations (Pogos) in the Philippines and other related activities.
Under Republic Act No. 12312, also known as the ‘Anti-Pogo Act of 2025,’ the work permits and visas of all individuals engaged in offshore gaming operations—or employed by Pogos, Pogo gaming content providers, and Pogo-accredited service providers—are declared canceled.
The bill was signed into law by Marcos October 23.
READ: Pogos must ‘start winding up operations’ – SolGen
“All Pogos, Pogo gaming content providers, Pogo-accredited service providers, and Pogo local gaming agents whose licenses have been revoked under this Act shall continue to be liable for all taxes, duties, regulatory fees, and all other charges up to the last day of their operations, which are due and payable to the government arising from or in connection to their operations,” the law reads.
Moreover, any act, omission, series, or combination of violations shall constitute an “unlawful activity” under Republic Act No. 9160, or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.
The new law also prohibits any person or entity from “recruiting, obtaining, hiring, providing, offering, transporting, transferring, maintaining, harboring, or receiving any Filipino or foreign national” for employment in offshore gaming operations in the country.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment has been tasked to formulate and implement programs to assist in the transition of all Filipino workers affected by the ban.
To ensure the effective implementation of the law, an Administrative Oversight Committee (AOC) shall be created, composed of the following agencies:
–Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission—or its organizational successor-in-interest—as chairperson
–Department of Justice, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Department of the Interior and Local Government as members
The AOC was given the authority to make sure there is a real-time and interoperable information-sharing system among agencies concerned, and speedy investigation and prosecution of all persons accused or detained, among others.
In his third State of the Nation Address in 2024, Marcos announced the official ban of all POGOs in the country. The operators were given until the end of that year to cease operations.
Following this pronouncement, the president instructed the Department of Labor and Employment, in coordination with the administration’s economic managers, to use the time “between now and then” to find new jobs for Filipinos who would be displaced.
In his speech, Marcos emphasized that banning Pogos would “solve many of the problems that the country has been encountering,” but noted that “it will not solve all of them.”
Months later, on November 5, Executive Order No. 74 was issued ordering the immediate ban of all POGOs in the country, citing national security threat as one of the reasons.