Philippines President Marcos implements Anti-POGO Act

Summary

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr has signed Republic Act (RA) 12312, the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, formally banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). The law, signed on 23 October 2025, follows an earlier executive ban (EO No. 74) and repeals RA No. 11590 which previously taxed offshore gaming operations and their service providers.

The Act was approved by the Senate as Senate Bill No. 2868 on 9 June 2025 and adopted by the House as an amendment to House Bill No. 10987 on 11 June 2025. The government cites serious crimes linked to POGO hubs — including human trafficking and torture — as drivers for the ban.

Penalties are severe: first offences carry six to eight years’ imprisonment and fines of PhP300,000 to PhP15m; repeat offences see increasingly heavy jail terms and fines, with the maximum penalty for public officials. Foreign offenders face imprisonment, deportation and permanent re-entry bans.

Key Points

President Marcos signed RA 12312 (Anti-POGO Act of 2025) on 23 October 2025, formalising a ban on POGOs.
The law repeals RA No. 11590, which had previously regulated and taxed offshore gaming operators and service providers.
Senate Bill No. 2868 and an amended House Bill No. 10987 were the legislative vehicles for the new law (June 2025).
The ban follows EO No. 74, which imposed an immediate ban on offshore and internet gaming in November 2024.
Crimes cited as justification include human trafficking and torture linked to POGO operations.
Penalties escalate with repeat offences: fines up to PhP50m and prison terms up to 12 years; public officials face the maximum penalties.
Foreign nationals convicted under the law will serve prison terms, be deported and barred from re-entry.

Context and relevance

This is a major regulatory shift for the Philippines and the iGaming sector in Asia. The formal ban removes legal ambiguity around POGO operations, affects companies, service providers and international business relationships, and signals a stronger focus on law enforcement and human-rights concerns in gaming policy. Operators, affiliates and payment partners with exposure to the Philippines should re-evaluate risk, contracts and compliance plans promptly.

Author style

Punchy: This is not just another rule change — it institutionalises a complete exit of POGOs from the Philippines and resets the regulatory landscape. If you work in payments, compliance, iGaming operations or regional strategy, read the details and act: licences, contracts and exposure need checking now.

Why should I read this?

Look, this matters if you touch anything to do with iGaming in Asia — it’s a clean break. The law shuts down an entire vertical that’s caused big headaches (and worse) for the Philippines. If you’ve got clients, partners or tech touching POGOs or the supply chain, you’ll want the cliff notes here so you don’t get blindsided.

Source

Source: https://igamingexpert.com/regions/asia/philippines-marcos-anti-pogo-law/