MANILA — Malacañang has ordered the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Authority to follow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive banning all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations in the country.

Cagayan  Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Administrator Katrina Ponce Enrile was told to enforce the "immediate ban of Philippine Offshore Gaming, Internet Gaming, and other offshore gaming operations in the Philippines", according to a document from the Office of the President sent on November 5, 2024.

Enrile earlier told a House inquiry that “there never was and there never will be POGOs” in CEZA, but admitted to allowing “iGaming” — interactive gaming — operations, which she insisted are different from POGOs.

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POGOs are under the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), while iGaming licenses are issued by the CEZA, Enrile had told lawmakers.

The CEZA has “the authority to conduct offshore iGaming operations,” she said.

“It (CEZA) can register enterprises organized or domiciled in the Philippines or any foreign country,” she said, noting that the agency has “established itself as the first interactive gaming jurisdiction in Asia and stood at the forefront of regulatory innovation.”

In July 2024, Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs in the Philippines after reports of illegal activities such as money laundering and human trafficking in different online gambling facilities across the country.

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