The Philippines has announced plans to ban offshore gaming operators, targeting an industry that mostly caters to Chinese gamblers and has sparked growing alarm from law enforcement over its alleged connections to organized crime. Known locally as POGOs, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators have spawned across the country, both licensed and illicit, employing tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign nationals. But in a state of the nation address Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a total shutdown of the industry. “Effective today, all POGOs are banned,” Marcos said to a standing ovation from lawmakers as he underlined the growing concern in the Philippines over the explosion of the offshore casino industry. “Disguising as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture – even murder. The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws…
