PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco told lawmakers on Tuesday that the regulator would not distinguish between POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Licensees) and IGLs (Internet Gaming Licensees) amid the President’s POGO ban, confirming the licenses of the 43 existing licensees would be cancelled by the end of the year.

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His comments during a senate hearing into POGOs follow the announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during his State of the Nation Address on Monday that he was banning POGOs, with no new licenses to be issued and new licenses to be wound back by end-2024.

PAGCOR had last year withdrawn the licenses of all existing POGO operators and required all to reapply, with those who were successful being licensed instead under the newly branded IGL scheme.