Online gambling operators may have been given the green light to resume operations in the Philippines, but they won’t be doing it without heavy scrutiny. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año announced the sectorwill be under supervision of special team from the Philippine National Police (PNP), while Congressman Bienvenido Abante Jr is still fighting to ban the industry entirely.

The Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators will have to strictly adhere to the still in place Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), which limits travel and mass gatherings of people. “There are certain requirements imposed by the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and DOF (Department of Finance) for them to comply and if they do not comply then we will not allow them (POGOs) to operate,” Año said, responding to questions about how the government will keep POGOs compliant.

“We also formed a special team in the law enforcement to check on these areas, venues for their operations to make sure they are following quarantine rules. If they violate them, we padlock and stop their operations,” he added.

On May 1, the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) gave permission or licensed POGOs to resume operations, so long as they followed strict guidelines that would limit the number of employees in an office, and provide safety measures to keep everyone from catching COVID-19. This has caused a flurry of debate over whether POGOs should even exist at all, nevermind resume operations during a pandemic.