POGO workers will need an ID card

All foreign workers will be issued with a Gaming Employment License ID card since January.

Philippines.- Authorities demanded a new system to be aware of how many people working in the POGO industry is licensed. According to the vice-chair of the House committee on games and amusements, all foreign workers in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) industry will need Gaming Employment License (GEL) identification cards in January.

The ID system will cost of Php 4,000 (€ 70,84) per person, and will assist immigration and law enforcement personnel determine who is and isn’t licensed.

“We cannot pretend anymore that the POGO industry is small”, said Ang Probinsyano Representative Ronnie Ong on the introduction of POGO IDs. “We should have a system to monitor them. That’s why we are pushing for the GEL ID. The recent kidnapping incident of POGO workers in Makati [could have been prevented] if we have a monitoring system and if they have GEL ID”, explained in reference to the news that recently came out about a high-profile kidnapping of a woman in Makati.

The video of the kidnapping has gone viral and comes in the same week as the Philippine National Police released new figures revealing there have been 42 casino or POGO related kidnappings nationwide in 2019.

“Also, this GEL ID will benefit the country because if we can monitor them, they will be able to pay the right taxes”, Ong concluded.