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Of the 60 offshore gaming operators licensed to operate in the Philippines, over 80% are registered outside the country, mostly in the British Virgin Islands.

CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer

MANILA -- It has created 470,000 jobs. It contributes over $11 billion to the economy. It has even sparked a diplomatic clash with China. The strange thing is, nobody is sure who fully owns it.

It's not as though the Philippine offshore gaming operators who are transforming Manila, known collectively as POGOs, are invisible, although the owners are mostly anonymous, according to information gathered by the Nikkei Asian Review.

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