An infrastructure-oriented thinktank called on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to cancel plans of setting up POGO hubs amid recent reports of cryptocurrency fraud and human trafficking tied to the country’s burgeoning offshore gaming industry.
“This week’s string of raids on fraudulent Chinese crypto firms and human trafficking rackets should give PAGCOR pause in implementing its proposal to establish POGO hubs in different parts of the country. In the face of porous bureaucratic enforcement and the level of investment pouring into POGOs, it will not be surprising to find these hubs similar to the petty and high-level rackets seen in the Bureau of Corrections.”
This was the statement of Terry Ridon, Infrawatch PH convenor and former member of the House ICT committee.
Pogo districts, not hubs
Ridon said it is better to restrict POGOs in their already established districts at present, such as the Bay area in Pasay and Paranaque, but still in full view of the public and government agencies.
“By restricting POGOs in self-contained hubs, it will be tantamount to placing Chinese workers in ‘gambling ghettos,’ in which their activities will be left unchecked except to government agencies running the hubs. We only need to look at the BuCor hearings to know that this is not a good idea.”
Ridon said self-contained hubs gives the public the impression of granting POGOS autonomous status, or worse, granting POGOs their own ‘gambling kingdom.’