The Philippine Senate officially passed the "Anti-POGO Act of 2025" on June 9, with a unanimous vote of 23 in favor, none against or abstaining, explicitly prohibiting all forms of offshore gambling (POGO) activities within the country.
Once the bill takes effect, the Philippines will become the first country in Southeast Asia to comprehensively legislate the prohibition of POGO operations.
The new bill, numbered Senate Bill No. 2868, was jointly proposed by Senators Zhang Qiaowei, Bong Go, Risa Hontiveros, and others.
The bill stipulates that those involved in POGO activities will face imprisonment of 6 to 12 years and fines of no less than 300,000 pesos; if the involved party is a government official, they will face even harsher penalties, demonstrating a determination to eliminate protectionism.
The push for this bill was motivated by a series of malicious incidents related to POGO over the past year that sparked public outrage. Police raids in Tarlac and Pangasinan provinces uncovered a criminal chain involving human trafficking, torture, and sexual assault in several POGO hubs.
The former mayor of Banban City, Guo Huaping, was also investigated and arrested, with prosecutors accusing him of providing shelter for illegal operations.
The Senate emphasized that this move is not only a legal rectification but also a response to the strong public outcry against the threats POGO poses to national security, population safety, and government integrity.
The bill will next be submitted to the House of Representatives for review. If passed by the House and signed by the President, the Philippines will officially bid farewell to the POGO era, sending out the strongest signal of "zero tolerance" against illegal gambling.
