The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment has said that around 22,000 Filipinos working in legal offshore gaming operators in the Metro Manila region might lose their jobs should the online gaming companies be banned in the country.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma made the remarks on Thursday in a television interview amid ongoing calls for the government to ban the formerly-named Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)

The nation’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) approved in July last year new regulations for POGOs, which are now referred to as “Internet Gaming Licensees” (IGLs).

Mr Laguesma noted his department was taking the necessary steps to be able to support affected workers in the event of any ban on offshore gaming operators.

“We have a big challenge or problem to face if the operations of legitimate POGO firms will be closed, because it will affect the employment of some workers,” Mr Laguesma said, as cited by the Manila Standard newspaper.

According to official data, from January to April this year, around 8,000 alien employment permits were issued to foreign workers employed in licensed IGLs in the country. Most of these foreign workers were Vietnamese and Chinese,” said Mr Laguesma.

The Department of Labor and Employment also vowed to tighten its screening of foreigners applying for permits to work in the country’s offshore gaming sector.

Mr Laguesma’s comments were made in the wake of some campaigning to ban offshore gaming operators in the country, following recent raids against some companies operating in the nation.

The Chinese embassy in Manila recently called for a ban on Philippine offshore operators, stating that they were “detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests”, as well as to “China-Philippines relations”.

Pagcor recently converted 13 provisional IGL permits to full ones, according to a review by GGRAsia of materials issued by the regulator. The conversion took to 40 the list of IGL permit holders allowed to offer gaming to customers offshore.