TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will unveil its first..
POGO or Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators started in 2003. Since gambling is prohibited or forbidden in some countries like China and the Philippines, the transaction is done through the internet.
POGO proves that gambling is risky.
Article 195 of the Revised Penal Code states that “any form of gambling is illegal and punishable,” and as per PAGCOR, the license of POGOs were void from the very start of the business.
Although it started in 2003, the government just began regulating online gaming hubs in 2016.
Players of POGO are primarily Chinese, but some of them live and work in Manila.
In 2020, these Chinese players who currently live in the Philippines were ordered to report back to China with the threat of their passports being canceled. Just like the Philippines, China is stringent when it comes to any form of gambling.
Despite being illegal, on May 12, 2021, PAGCOR released a list of 40 approved POGO that were able to present their business licenses.
PAGCOR also provided the Offshore Gaming Regulatory Manual.
POGO vs. Environment
Even after receiving numerous backlashes because of the adverse effects of the POGO, per environmentalists, the business was still able to continue to run but only under certain conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Environmentalists have also called out POGO due to the “destruction of mangrove habitat and its conversion into a POGO island in Cavite.”
And since these casinos require spaces and lots to run, the demand for commercial and residential spaces in Metro Manila gets higher, resulting in an over populated community.
Contributed by Francaise Elaine Merlan
Video Articles