To address the controversies surrounding Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), PAGCOR took a bold step. It rebranded the entire sector.
Pagcor Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco traveled to Las Vegas, the world’s gambling capital. He formally announced the new label for the country’s offshore gaming industry.
During the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), Tengco revealed that Pagcor will now refer to all offshore gaming firms as Internet Gaming Licensees, or IGLs.
Notably, Tengco chose the global gaming publication Inside Asian Gaming to break the news. In an exclusive interview at the summit, he confirmed that Pagcor will apply the IGL designation to all offshore companies licensed to operate in the Philippines.
“This is the first time we’re announcing this publicly. We will use this new expression, IGL, from now on,” Tengco said.
To support the rebrand, Pagcor also launched a full relicensing initiative. In July, it issued the Internet Gaming License Regulations. These new guidelines replaced the earlier Offshore Gaming Regulations. The agency introduced these changes in response to numerous violations linked to POGO firms.
As a result, lawmakers—particularly senators—increased their scrutiny. Over the past few months, several conducted inquiries into POGO operations. Eventually, some lawmakers pushed for a total ban on the sector.
Nevertheless, Tengco stated that Pagcor expects to release a full list of newly licensed IGLs by the end of the month. Furthermore, he confirmed that the list will include the web addresses of all legally authorized online gaming sites.
“There will be 55 to 65 licenses issued. We will no longer grant service provider licenses—only IGL licenses,” Tengco explained.
Since taking the helm in 2022, Tengco has largely avoided media appearances. Despite leading Pagcor through a major transition, he has not yet held a press conference to outline his agenda or update the public.
Even so, the agency continues to push forward with its plan. Pagcor aims to privatize all its operated casinos and fully transform into a regulatory body.
