POGOs close down due to COVID-19 pandemic
Five Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and at least 10 of their local service providers have closed down in recent weeks due to the difficult business environment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, sources told The Philippine Star.
Aside from the loss of jobs of at least 2,000 Filipinos working as “live dealers”, I.T., admin and production staff for online gaming studios, the closures also led to vacancies in three POGO offices located in Makati’s central business district.
The source said that prohibitive lease expenses, high overhead costs and inability to resume partial operations due to strict conditions imposed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) could also be contributing factors for the closures.
