I believe the games of POGO in the Philippines are from random providers that you can see on different gambling platforms.
The people behind this are just providing games to different gambling platforms.
I believe the foreigners taking advantage of Filipino workers as you can give cheap salaries to some Filipinos to work in this field, the rents. And some foreigners do it in the Philippines because it's banned from their country.
The downside is that a lot of criminal activities are happening in this market, especially some that are not legally documented.
Topic: Have you played with the POGO? - page 2. (Read 433 times)
What surprised me the most after this announcement is that most of the online casinos I use notified all their players that they're not affected by this POGO ban. Well, I don't know if they're related to POGO. 747, Winzir, Bet88.ph, BingoPlus— all of these casinos announced that they're not affected by this POGO ban. Can someone give me a list of known POGO sites affected by this ban?
Perhaps because those casinos service the filipino locals? While POGOs operate in the Philippines, they only service people outside the country who are for the most part the chinese market. I would image casinos for the locals and POGOs may have different license or prerequisite/s to operate.
If those are offshore websites and companies, how do they raid them?
I guess the raids were about those which have offices in the Philippines. It appears they have occupied a good amount of space.
Property consultancy firm Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) reported that POGOs vacated a total of 630,000 square meters (6,800,000 sq ft) of office space from 2020 to third quarter of 2022. LPC reported that POGOs still occupy 1,000,000 square meters (11,000,000 sq ft) of office space as of October 2022; its complete exit would result in estimated ₱18.9 billion in lost annual office rentals.
I'm assuming there could be unreported cases as well.
POGO has been a hot issue in the Philippines recently due to crimes related to its operation. I was surprised to learn that there was already a documentary about this three years ago, but the government seemed not to have taken the right action. Now, it seems they are considering banning the operation due to the mentioned reasons.
This kind of government decision is a sign that the authorities can't stop the illegal activities of POGOs. The president intervening for the decision whether POGO should be banned or moderated is a clear indication that the authorities charge in regulating the gambling activity of the Philippines is incompetent.
So question is, have you played with these casinos before. They have this live dealers which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum, I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
No, as to my memory, I have not played in any casinos (specifically POGO) licensed by the Philippines since I was exposed to the casino licensed by Curacao and has put more trust on these reputable casinos than those POGOs.
What surprised me the most after this announcement is that most of the online casinos I use notified all their players that they're not affected by this POGO ban. Well, I don't know if they're related to POGO. 747, Winzir, Bet88.ph, BingoPlus— all of these casinos announced that they're not affected by this POGO ban. Can someone give me a list of known POGO sites affected by this ban?
I hope this isn't just talk in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and they will actually work on it. If someone is paid off, the issue might return after a year. I think the ban on POGO won't happen if Marcos fall out with Duterte.
I hope this isn't just talk in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and they will actually work on it. If someone is paid off, the issue might return after a year. I think the ban on POGO won't happen if Marcos fall out with Duterte.
So question is, have you played with these casinos before. They have this live dealers which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum, I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
This is actually my first time hearing of the name "POGO" as a casino, as it seems it's only popular in China and the Philippines, just as said in the YouTube video link provided above. However, it's just said to know that a casino such has this has been into fraudulent acts for many years and yet the government seems to have done nothing simply because they are benefiting billions of pesos through tax revenue generated. And as it stands now, the only people that could put this menace into a permanent end is only the government, because casino operators are meant to be a offered a transparent means of gambling, and not stand as a vessel of fear while many will want to skip gambling due to it's lack of proper regulations, offering gamblers the safety of their funds.
I'm glad that POGO is finally banned. I'm sure President Marcos has seen the data, and he concluded that it's not contributing enough to ignore the bad effects on society. Imagine the POGO investigation by the Senate has been going on for two months, and there are so many speculations. Because of POGO, we have seen so many Chinese faking their birth certificates so they can run for local office.
So many corrupt practices have been exposed because of this POGO investigation, so it's just right that they ban it, and based on the investigation, some POGOs are actually scam hubs.
So many corrupt practices have been exposed because of this POGO investigation, so it's just right that they ban it, and based on the investigation, some POGOs are actually scam hubs.
I don't think I have been in a position in which I have the necessity to play casinos games from an Asian provider, though. I mostly stick to casinos registered in Curaçao and have their own original Dices, Plinko, crash and blackjack. Though, when comes to the few Sportbetting I get involved in, I am not sure whether the market I am getting into have anything to do with asian ones. I think not.
In regards of the situation going on in the Philippines, it could be a good temporary solution, but since the demand for liquidity will co time to exist, the Chinese people who are involved with shady businesses will find a way to continue to access to casinos and bookies, even if they need to go underground un order to do so.
Also, I did not know the crime syndicate in mainland China was so big, to the point they could actively influence on the gambling market of a foreign country like Philippines.
In regards of the situation going on in the Philippines, it could be a good temporary solution, but since the demand for liquidity will co time to exist, the Chinese people who are involved with shady businesses will find a way to continue to access to casinos and bookies, even if they need to go underground un order to do so.
Also, I did not know the crime syndicate in mainland China was so big, to the point they could actively influence on the gambling market of a foreign country like Philippines.
POGO has been a hot issue in the Philippines recently due to crimes related to its operation. I was surprised to learn that there was already a documentary about this three years ago, but the government seemed not to have taken the right action. Now, it seems they are considering banning the operation due to the mentioned reasons.
The POGO has already been banned, the president of the Philippines has announced it on his SONAMarcos bans Pogo, cites ‘disorder’ it caused PH
Just recently browse this news when this topic was created. The ban of POGO doesn’t create much noise because it’s announced via the president SONA which is kinda boring to watch due to his incompetency since he started his terms.
I’m surprised for the total ban instead of just regulating it properly since it generates huge profit for the government banning it is such a waste because there’s a lot of Filipino employee will be affected. Surely the Philippines government is just pleasing the community without thinking the repercussions of their actions.
This is the first time I've heard of the POGO game... but someone has explained what POGO is above so I understand a bit now.
So playing in POGO is only for certain people who have privillage? And local people can't play here, but there's a bigger action behind it including the laundering?
So playing in POGO is only for certain people who have privillage? And local people can't play here, but there's a bigger action behind it including the laundering?
POGO is not a game. It’s just a terminology for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators which is a casino provider in our country dedicated for foreign players mostly Chinese.
It’s shady because Chinese use this operation to hide underlying illegal operations of foreigners. In short, A black market cover casino.
This is the first time I've heard of the POGO game... but someone has explained what POGO is above so I understand a bit now.
So playing in POGO is only for certain people who have privillage? And local people can't play here, but there's a bigger action behind it including the laundering?
So playing in POGO is only for certain people who have privillage? And local people can't play here, but there's a bigger action behind it including the laundering?
What the hell is this mess?
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/22/marcos-jr-orders-pogos-to-cease-operations-by-end-of-year-1603
If those are offshore websites and companies, how do they raid them?
If those were not licensed why not simply ban access and stop payments to them, it's not like it's something magical, we have done this pretty easy in Europe, you can have websites that operate totally legally in Germany and Denmark banned in France and Portugal like bet365.
Besides, this is a bit weird:
This is a moot point, if people would not spend money on games they would spend it on something else that also generates taxes and employment, unless you're able to quantify this precisely it's not really an argument.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/22/marcos-jr-orders-pogos-to-cease-operations-by-end-of-year-1603
If those are offshore websites and companies, how do they raid them?
If those were not licensed why not simply ban access and stop payments to them, it's not like it's something magical, we have done this pretty easy in Europe, you can have websites that operate totally legally in Germany and Denmark banned in France and Portugal like bet365.
Besides, this is a bit weird:
From a financial aspect, POGO brings in billions of pesos to the Philippines through taxes, so it's hard to let this go.
This is a moot point, if people would not spend money on games they would spend it on something else that also generates taxes and employment, unless you're able to quantify this precisely it's not really an argument.
There's not much information shared about how to play POGO. However, there should be a website that players need to visit in order to play, just like a regular casino where we can see if they cater to our country, so we would know if we can play or not. All we know is that POGO is linked to money laundering as its biggest issue. Aside from that, we have no idea how to access it to at least try and see if it does really restrict the locals from playing.
Most of the POGO is dedicated only for Chinese citizens which they usually use for different sketchy business such as money laundering, human trafficking, drugs and other illegal activities which Chinese hide in the Philippines since we have much lousy laws in when it comes to criminal offenses compared to China which this offense will lead to death penalty depending on the seriousness of the crime.
There’s no much information for the local since we are not allowed to enter. Only Filipino dealers are allowed to enter while most of the player is Chinese.
I don't seem to use that casino to play, I also seem to have just heard the name and don't feel familiar with it at all, and I also sometimes don't pay attention to where a casino is from where I play.
As long as it's not advertised on the forum I don't think anyone uses it except people in the country itself, some friends from the Philippines who are on the forum may have tried it.
But it's unfortunate that the government didn't take direct action despite the documentary, it probably goes back to the country's own interests, because as you said they get a pretty big tax it seems so before this entered the international scene it was left alone, and now that the problem has exploded, it's time to shut it down, after all the country's reputation may be at stake for such a widespread problem.
As long as it's not advertised on the forum I don't think anyone uses it except people in the country itself, some friends from the Philippines who are on the forum may have tried it.
But it's unfortunate that the government didn't take direct action despite the documentary, it probably goes back to the country's own interests, because as you said they get a pretty big tax it seems so before this entered the international scene it was left alone, and now that the problem has exploded, it's time to shut it down, after all the country's reputation may be at stake for such a widespread problem.
So question is, have you played with these casinos before. They have this live dealers which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum, I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
We can't get much information about the POGO network, obviously this gambling network is generally developed in the Philippines, I tried searching on Bitcointalk and just found it in this thread, so obviously I haven't done anything on that website, it's foreign to me.Moreover, it clearly mentions the crimes committed by the POGO network.
Quote
22nd July 2024 | By Kyle Goldsmith. All Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) will be banned, president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has announced today. Marcos accused the sector of facilitating illicit activities like financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture and murder.
For me about POGO, it's better not to know him at all, considering the negative things happening as above.
So question is, have you played with these casinos before. They have this live dealers which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum, I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
AFAIK, POGO is only exclusive for foreign people outside the Philippines, this casino charge different taxes which is higher than the regular tax on casino.
Playing in POGO is for VIP only since they typically being played by rich Chinese businessmen and also doing something shady such as money laundering. As a regular gambler, There’s no advantage playing on this type of casino because they offer nothing special except for the possibility to launder of foreign businessmen.
There's not much information shared about how to play POGO. However, there should be a website that players need to visit in order to play, just like a regular casino where we can see if they cater to our country, so we would know if we can play or not. All we know is that POGO is linked to money laundering as its biggest issue. Aside from that, we have no idea how to access it to at least try and see if it does really restrict the locals from playing.
So question is, have you played with these casinos before. They have this live dealers which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum, I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
AFAIK, POGO is only exclusive for foreign people outside the Philippines, this casino charge different taxes which is higher than the regular tax on casino.
Playing in POGO is for VIP only since they typically being played by rich Chinese businessmen and also doing something shady such as money laundering. As a regular gambler, There’s no advantage playing on this type of casino because they offer nothing special except for the possibility to launder of foreign businessmen.
The Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines seems so inept and unable to understand even basic concepts. Seems like they're banning operators that didn't bow to their corruption because they were foreign now. If they wanted to fix the issue why not try to work with these businesses to regulate them? A few years ago they were happy to issue licenses and allow them to operate under the country's non-existent human rights and worker's rights record.
It's a crazy world in the philipines. The doctator does as he pleases without any due process. If you hear the government's point for banning an entire sector, it's just "disorder"... Ok, why not just try to tax this industry and make laws for worker's rights that would also positively affect the local population? Marcos just doesn't care. He wants his people to suffer under inhumane working conditions so his cronies can enrich themselves. But when foreign nationals take advantage of the scheme he has created he might as well ban it outright.
It's a crazy world in the philipines. The doctator does as he pleases without any due process. If you hear the government's point for banning an entire sector, it's just "disorder"... Ok, why not just try to tax this industry and make laws for worker's rights that would also positively affect the local population? Marcos just doesn't care. He wants his people to suffer under inhumane working conditions so his cronies can enrich themselves. But when foreign nationals take advantage of the scheme he has created he might as well ban it outright.
POGO has been a hot issue in the Philippines recently due to crimes related to its operation. I was surprised to learn that there was already a documentary about this three years ago, but the government seemed not to have taken the right action. Now, it seems they are considering banning the operation due to the mentioned reasons.
The POGO has already been banned, the president of the Philippines has announced it on his SONAMarcos bans Pogo, cites ‘disorder’ it caused PH
Quote
From a financial aspect, POGO brings in billions of pesos to the Philippines through taxes, so it's hard to let this go. However, these crimes are no longer tolerable, and they have tarnished the country's reputation. There are also rumors that other countries, particularly China, have sent spies to the Philippines since POGO is operated by Chinese people.
It is not yet established, but there's a strong belief that there are spies in the POGO hub because they found camouflage, other high-tech telecommunication equipment, and, of course, undocumented Chinese. All these make one suspicious that there's espionage.Quote
So the question is, have you played with these casinos before? They have live dealers, which are also available in other casinos that are popular in the forum; I'm thinking maybe they are providing those.
I don't know if there are casinos here that POGO is serving that are based in the Philippines if they have then there will be an interruption of their service because of the ban. 
POGO has been a hot issue in the Philippines recently due to crimes related to its operation. I was surprised to learn that there was already a documentary about this three years ago, but the government seemed not to have taken the right action. Now, it seems they are considering banning the operation due to the mentioned reasons.
The problem here is monitoring the local officials are so corrupt that they failed to stop other POGO operators from turning their hub into a scam and criminal hub, there is human trafficking, sex extortion, scams, and torture the local officials are being paid by these criminal operators from operating without interference and monitoring.Quote
From a financial aspect, POGO brings in billions of pesos to the Philippines through taxes, so it's hard to let this go. However, these crimes are no longer tolerable, and they have tarnished the country's reputation. There are also rumors that other countries, particularly China, have sent spies to the Philippines since POGO is operated by Chinese people.
The harm outweighs the benefits in this article POGO's contribution to the economy is only a small fraction of the GDP as detailed on this article Quote
Government economic managers on Tuesday downplayed the economic losses that would result from the total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, pointing out that the industry contributed less than 0.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Benefits from POGO ban outweigh costs -economic managers
It looks like we have a lot of answers that we are not sure of. <>
According to this article https://hyperlocal.ph/what-are-pogos-and-how-do-they-work-in-the-philippines/
Quote
POGOs fall under three main categories:
E-casinos – Online casinos that operate in real-time, usually offering a variety of games
Sports betting – Gambling that involves predicting results and placing bets on sporting events
Sportsbetting on Regulated Wagering Events (SBRWE) – Regulated by other jurisdictions and provides live audio/visual feeds of events to consumers
E-casinos – Online casinos that operate in real-time, usually offering a variety of games
Sports betting – Gambling that involves predicting results and placing bets on sporting events
Sportsbetting on Regulated Wagering Events (SBRWE) – Regulated by other jurisdictions and provides live audio/visual feeds of events to consumers
So, they likely offer a wide range of games, as popular games attract gamblers. We might not be aware of these because the majority of their customers are Chinese or other Asian people. We can usually tell if a live casino is operating in the Philippines if the dealers and staff are Asians. In contrast, other casinos often feature American or European staff.
The way how they operate their business then doing those illegalities on their hubs leaves impression that there's nothing good it brings for people and to the country. That's why I agree with government officials urges the President to ban this kind of activities since illegal activities like what those POGO's do should be stop. And I think the latest updates about this cases is they totally ban this POGO on Philippines so its really good they decide about that since even in Chine this operation has been declared as illegal on their country.
Some of them are licensed with PAGCOR (a government agency), while others operate illegally. It cannot be regulated well due to corrupt officials, especially in immigration, who allow Chinese workers of POGO to enter without proper documentation in exchange for bribes. This is why many workers are coming to the Philippines to work for POGO, and the authorities can't monitor it effectively because they allow entry even without a working visa.If some institutions worrying about the tax then for sure they can find something else that can able to generate funds to them. But the evil deeds made by those illegal operators should be stop so they can avoid more bigger problems in future.
They have already evaluated it, and the benefits don't outweigh the negative impacts it would bring to the country. So, the decision to ban was just right. I'm just worried about what will happen to the buildings they created, which are quite large. For instance, there is a POGO hub in one province that spans around 7 hectares. Jump to: