Philippines eyes global gaming SCBPO hub role, executives say
- Executives pitched the Philippines as a global gaming SCBPO hub at IAG Expo.
- Rob Dowling of The Conexus Group says the case is shifting to capability.
- PAGCOR accreditation could separate compliant SCBPOs from POGO-era stigma.
- William Hill Group/Evoke runs customer service and finance work in the Philippines.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Gaming industry executives are pitching the Philippines as a future global hub for special class outsourcing firms that serve licensed international operators, arguing the country can move beyond its traditional cost advantage by building specialized expertise.
These Special Class Business Process Outsourcing (SCBPO) firms belong to a wider ecosystem of support companies operating behind licensed gaming operators.
Capability, not cost, is the new pitch
According to SiGMA, the case was made at a panel on suppliers and SCBPOs at the IAG Expo, organized by Inside Asian Gaming and moderated by Marie Antonette Quiogue, chief executive officer and founder of Arden Consult.
Rob Dowling, chief executive officer of The Conexus Group, said the economic case for gaming support operations in the Philippines is shifting from labor arbitrage to capability.
He pointed to the country’s English-speaking, gaming-literate workforce, the scale of its business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and its growing technology expertise, a combination he said another jurisdiction would find harder to replicate even with lower labor costs.
“Cost alone isn’t durable,” Dowling said. “The Philippines has won the argument for some time around cost. Now the opportunity is to win the argument on capability.”
Accreditation helps SCBPOs shed POGO stigma
Pia Theresa Gutierrez, head of Philippine operations at William Hill Group/Evoke, compared the sector’s development with the wider Philippine BPO industry, which evolved from handling repetitive processes to providing higher-value professional services.
Her company’s local workforce handles customer service, compliance operations and finance shared services, including procurement and financial planning and analysis.
Panel members said accreditation by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) could help separate compliant SCBPOs from the stigma associated with illegal offshore gaming operations under the former Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) sector.
“There was a stigma around POGOs, and a lot of our staff were worried that they fell into that category,” said Georgina Mauger, vice president for strategic operations at Raphie.
For buyers comparing the top BPO companies in the Philippines, the panel’s pitch mirrors a broader shift from cost arbitrage toward specialized compliance, fraud prevention, customer engagement, finance and technology expertise.
Whether PAGCOR accreditation delivers the trust and retention gains the panel described will decide if SCBPOs become part of the infrastructure behind the global gaming industry or remain a niche segment.
Related news
- Philippine BPO courts Asia, Europe to cut U.S. reliance · 12 Sep
- Philippines gaming regulator backs special class BPO sector · Feb 2025
- Special class BPOs safe as Philippines shuts down POGOs · Sep 2024
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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