Philippines -licensed online gambling operators are no closer to relaunching their sites after a government official said there’d been no change in official policy regarding COVID-19.

Earlier this week, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chair Andrea Domingo asked the government’s Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases for authorization to restart certain ‘high-earning’ gambling options that were locked down last week to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

On Thursday, local media quoted Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles saying Domingo’s proposal to relaunch Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and land-based VIP gambling rooms was “not on the table.” Nograles said POGOS remain prohibited and the IATF “have not discussed any other alternative whatever.”

Domingo had argued that allowing POGOs and junket-based VIP gambling – including telephone ‘proxy betting’ – to resume operations wouldn’t risk any significant COVID-19 exposure but would allow PAGCOR to regain 50-60% of its revenue capacity, which would in turn help fund the government’s anti-coronavirus efforts.