PAGCOR Issues Warning About Fake Memo on POGO Closure Orders

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the nation’s gaming regulator, has cautioned the public about a “disinformation campaign” involving a “memorandum falsely ordering local government units (LGUs) to immediately halt” the operations of offshore online gaming businesses in the country. The agency confirmed in a statement on Saturday that this memo is “fake.”

Jessa Mariz Fernandez, who leads PAGCOR’s Offshore Gaming Licensing Department, explained that the “supposed memo” addressed to LGUs in Metro Manila dated July 26 was a fabricated version of an earlier memorandum released by the agency on July 23, following the President’s State of the Nation Address.

On July 22, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), now referred to as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), would be required to cease operations in the country by the end of the year.

The “fake memo” misled some LGUs in Metro Manila into believing they should end POGO operations “within the first week of August.”

PAGCOR’s Saturday statement included a quote from Ms. Fernandez: “We have not issued any memorandum directing LGUs to immediately shut down POGO operations in their areas because the President’s directive is explicit: We have until the end of the year to phase out POGO operations, and we will adhere to that timeline.”

“This is a deliberate act of disinformation aimed at causing disruption and confusion,” she added. “The perpetrators clearly have hidden motives, and we will request the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate and expose those responsible to understand their intentions.”

Ms. Fernandez also mentioned that PAGCOR has informed LGUs that licensed IGLs “can continue operating until we finalize the process for winding down their activities, which has not yet been determined.”

Additionally, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Manila commented on Thursday that the ban on offshore online gaming businesses operating in the Philippines was “a welcome development.”

Related Posts