(MENAFN) On Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos announced a decisive ban on all online gambling firms operating within the country. This ban targets the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), which have faced intense scrutiny and criticism. During his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos declared, “All POGOs are banned,” signaling a significant policy shift aimed at addressing various criminal activities linked to these operators.

Marcos instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), a government-owned entity under the Office of the President, to oversee the complete shutdown of POGO operations by the end of the year. He highlighted that POGOs have expanded beyond their gaming activities into illegal realms, including financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and even murder. The President emphasized that this ban is expected to curb the associated criminal activities, which have increasingly become a concern in the Philippines.

The decision follows widespread calls from officials, lawmakers, and business leaders for a crackdown on POGOs. According to the Department of Finance, these operations are costing the Philippines approximately 99.5 billion pesos (about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars) annually. In response to the anticipated impact of this ban on workers employed by POGOs, Marcos has also directed the Department of Labor and Employment to collaborate with economic managers to secure alternative job opportunities for those displaced by the closure of these gaming operations.