The Philippines Department of Justice has issued a warning to the remaining workers of the now-banned offshore online gaming operators. It said that those failing to surrender to the authorities would face severe consequences, including permanent immigration blacklisting.
According to local media outlets, the country’s Bureau of Immigration has announced plans to deport approximately 11,000 foreign workers linked to offshore online gaming operators who failed to leave the Philippines last year.
The figure, reported the newspaper, includes those who neglected either to adjust their visa status or to depart voluntarily, as well as those who, despite downgrading their visas, overstayed beyond the validity of their visitor permits.
A total of 22,609 workers linked to offshore gaming operators had left the Philippines before the December 31 deadline, according to the local authorities.
The Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, said in July that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) – also known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) – would need to end their business in the country by the end of 2024.
In November, the Philippine leader issued an executive order prohibiting all offshore online gaming operations in the country. The ban encompasses existing operators, licence applications, licence renewals, cessation of operations and illegal offshore gaming operations.
“The President is adamant that POGOs have no place in the Philippines,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla in a statement cited by local media outlets.
“We are fully committed to supporting this ban for the safety and well-being of the Filipino people,” he added.
In mid-December, Alejandro Tengco, chairman and chief executive of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), had said that all remaining legitimate offshore online gaming operators in the country had voluntarily submitted letters to the regulator indicating their intent to shut down their operations in the Philippines.
