The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has dimissed a fake memo for local government units to immediately terminate the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Picked up by Pagcor, the fake memo states all POGOs must be shut down by the first week of August. The memo features Pagcor logos and was fraudulently signed by Jessa Mariz Fernandez, head of the regulator’s offshore gaming licensing department.
The memo refers to Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr announcing the decision to ban all POGOs during his State of the Nation address on 22 July. During the address, he said all POGOs should close by the end of the year.
On Saturday (27 July) Pagcor dismissed the memo in a statement that said it was a forged version of an earlier memorandum issued by Pagcor on 23 July.
The genuine memo did not give a definitive date for POGO closures. It instead said closures were “pending finalisation of the details and process of winding down”, adding tha..
