Another indicator that the Philippine online gambling sector is shrinking has revealed itself. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reported that the number of foreigners seeking employment permits has been cut in half in 2020.

Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay noted that the exact number of alien employment permits (AEPs) given to foreign workers so far in 2020 has been 73,640. Over 84% of that number were given to employees from Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs), but that’s well down from the total of 158,710 AEPs given for the same period in 2019, with 77.9% going to POGOs.

“This showed a substantial decrease of 49.69 percent or 61,453 compared to the total issuance in 2019, due to the limited inbound travel restrictions and limited operations of POGO-related establishments,” Tutay noted.

Of the POGO employees given AEPs, 90% were Chinese, he noted. Other countries sending labor were Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand.