Workers in the Philippine Online Gambling Operator (POGO) industry continue to face threats from all angles, with some operators resorting to kidnapping to settle debts and government agencies hounding them for taxes. Two new ideas seek to protect them, and the country, from the perceived dangers of the growing industry.

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House Representative Ronnie Ong revealed on December 12 that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has signaled they will begin issuing Gaming Employment Licenses (GELs) to all POGO employees, the Business Mirror reports. “I was told by Pagcor that they will start issuing GEL ID by January,” he said. Cultural training is also in the works, he revealed.

Ong implied that through GELs, POGO employees could be better protected from the darker side of the POGO industry, but his emphasis was really on how this will make the industry easier to monitor. “We cannot pretend anymore that the Pogo industry is small. We should have a system to monitor them. That’s why we are pushing for the GEL ID,” he noted.