POGOs Are Banned. The Largest Raid of 2026 Shows They Haven't Gone Away

Almost two years after the Philippines ordered offshore gaming operations to shut down, immigration authorities have carried out what the Bureau of Immigration describes as the largest POGO crackdown of 2026. The scale of the operation suggests that illegal offshore gaming and related online activities have not disappeared with the ban.

On October 2, 2026, the Bureau of Immigration (BI), working with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), apprehended 244 foreign nationals during simultaneous operations in two municipalities in Zamboanga Sibugay: Barangay Kimos in Siay and Barangay Tandiong Muslim in Alicia. The BI described the operation as the largest POGO bust of 2026.

In Siay, 113 foreign nationals were apprehended: 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and one Hong Kong national. In Alicia, another 131 were apprehended, mostly Chinese, along with nationals from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar. The BI noted that the identities and nationalities of those apprehended remain subject to verification.

The equipment recovered points to an operation with significant digital infrastructure. Authorities seized 78 computer monitors, roughly 3,000 mobile phones, laptops and cellular SIM cards. The BI said technical devices recovered at the site were believed to have been used for online scams.

The foreign nationals are being investigated for alleged immigration violations, including working without the proper work visa, being undocumented, alleged undesirability connected with illegal POGO-related online activities and, in some cases, illegal entry. The BI is also coordinating with other law enforcement agencies over possible human trafficking-related violations, although any trafficking offense remains subject to investigation.

Those apprehended will undergo appropriate deportation proceedings for alleged immigration violations. The BI said that, upon issuance of a deportation order, their names will be placed on the Bureau's blacklist, barring them from re-entering the Philippines.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the ban on POGO operations during his July 22, 2024 State of the Nation Address. Executive Order No. 74 was subsequently signed on November 5, 2024. It ordered POGO, Internet Gaming Licensee and other offshore gaming operations, including related ancillary services, to completely cease operations and wind down their affairs by December 31, 2024 or earlier.

EO 74 cited, among other concerns, the risks associated with crime, exploitation, money laundering, fraud and other illicit financial activities linked to POGO operations. The order also noted an Anti-Money Laundering Council assessment identifying POGOs as susceptible to money laundering, fraud and other illicit financial activities.

Congress subsequently made the prohibition permanent through Republic Act No. 12312, or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which was signed into law on October 23, 2025. The law declares offshore gaming operations in the Philippines unlawful, permanently revokes previously issued POGO-related licenses and prohibits the establishment or operation of POGO sites. It also repeals Republic Act No. 11590, the law that had established the tax framework for Philippine offshore gaming operations.

The law also covers service providers supporting offshore gaming. Its definition of a POGO accredited service provider includes entities supplying customer service, IT services, marketing, customer registration and verification, payment solutions, odds making, office support and other services indispensable to offshore gaming operations. The law prohibits acting as a POGO gaming content provider or POGO services provider and prohibits aiding or abetting activities prohibited under the Act.

RA 12312 also establishes escalating criminal penalties. A first offense carries six to eight years' imprisonment and a fine of at least PHP 15 million. A second offense carries eight years and one day to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of PHP 15 million to PHP 30 million. A third offense carries 10 years and one day to 12 years' imprisonment and a fine of PHP 30 million to PHP 50 million.

The Zamboanga Sibugay operation was conducted as part of the BI's continuing enforcement of both Executive Order No. 74 and Republic Act No. 12312.

A ban removes the legal basis for an industry, but it does not necessarily eliminate the people, technology or financial infrastructure that supported it. The Zamboanga operation illustrates the continuing enforcement challenge presented by illegal operations that operate outside the licensed framework.

For the payments industry, the Anti-POGO Act is particularly relevant because the law expressly identifies payment solutions as one of the services that can support offshore gaming operations. The Act also makes violations of its provisions an 'unlawful activity' under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

That means the issue is not limited to identifying illegal gaming operators. Payment providers and financial institutions also need to understand who their merchants and counterparties ultimately serve, particularly where a business may be operating through intermediaries or under a different commercial identity.

The regulatory environment around financial accounts has also tightened. Republic Act No. 12010, or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), was approved on July 20, 2024. The law establishes offenses and enforcement mechanisms covering financial account scamming and related activities.

The BSP has also taken specific action on online gambling payment access. In August 2025, the central bank instructed BSP-supervised institutions to remove links providing in-app gambling access from their mobile payment applications and websites within 48 hours. The measure was introduced pending the issuance and implementation of broader standards for online gambling payment services.

More recently, a September 2026 BSP exposure draft on payment transaction integrity proposed stronger controls around merchant payment acceptance. Among the proposed measures are direct merchant arrangements for certain categories of businesses, including gaming operators, rather than arrangements involving an intermediary between the merchant and payment provider. Because this remains an exposure draft, the proposal should not be described as an existing requirement unless and until the BSP formally adopts it.

For licensed operators, payment providers and compliance teams, the Zamboanga Sibugay raid is another reminder that the end of the legal POGO industry does not necessarily mean the end of illegal activities associated with the sector.

The Anti-POGO Act creates a clear legal prohibition and expressly brings supporting services, including payment solutions, within its scope. AFASA adds another layer of controls around financial-account abuse, while BSP measures increasingly focus on how gambling-related transactions enter and move through the regulated financial system.

The ban is now law. Making it effective will depend on more than shutting down physical sites. It will also depend on whether authorities and regulated financial institutions can identify the businesses, accounts and payment relationships that continue to support prohibited activities.

For the payments industry, that makes merchant identification, beneficial ownership, transaction monitoring and understanding the ultimate nature of a customer's business increasingly important parts of the post-POGO enforcement landscape.