The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is readying a mobile application that will help online gaming players identify and stick to platforms with a valid PAGCOR licence. Chairman and chief executive Alejandro H. Tengco told the House Committee on Appropriations on 24 August that the app is scheduled to launch before the end of the year. The regulator says the tool is designed to reduce illegal online gambling and improve player protection.
Planned launch and purpose
According to PAGCOR, the app has two main aims: reducing the number of unlicensed gambling platforms and directing players towards sites that are licensed and regulated by the corporation. Tengco said it will make it simpler for players to use only authorised gaming sites that meet regulatory safeguards. The plan was reported by GMA News Online.
The new app follows the 2025 introduction of PAGCOR Guarantee, an online verification facility that lets the public check whether an online gaming provider holds a valid licence, as detailed by Inquirer.net. The regulator said the app will build on that verification work by steering players to licensed options.
Dispute resolution for licensed play
Tengco told lawmakers that playing through a licensed operator gives customers a process for seeking redress when disagreements arise. The regulator said this is part of its wider push to encourage players to move away from unregulated sites, which expose them to risks without those safeguards.
Illegal market and enforcement coordination
PAGCOR estimates that roughly half of the online gaming sites accessed in the Philippines are illegal. Tengco said, “Around 50% of online gaming sites accessed in the Philippines are illegal,” adding that keeping players within the regulated sector has been a persistent challenge. He said easier identification of lawful platforms would improve player protection against unlicensed operators and unregulated play.
PAGCOR is working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Centre to pursue illegal operators, including payment channels used by unlicensed platforms, according to Marketing Interactive.
Licence moratorium and fees
PAGCOR's player protection measures are being introduced while a moratorium on new online gaming licences remains in place, following a board resolution in March 2024. Tengco said online gaming licensees have fallen from 74 to 48. He added that some previous licence holders had not actively used their permits, with alleged attempts to sell or transfer them, and that PAGCOR has no immediate plans to lift the freeze.
Fee rates are unchanged from 1 January: e-game operators are subject to a 30 per cent rate and integrated resorts to 25 per cent, calculated as a fixed percentage of gross gaming revenue.
Influencer marketing scrutiny
PAGCOR has also been tightening oversight of influencer promotions. During the budget hearing, Tengco said the regulator fined an online gaming company 1 million pesos (about US$16,000) over a giveaway of 100 high-end phones promoted by influencer Ivana Alawi. The company was ordered to stop the promotion and received a stern warning against repeating the violation.
According to PAGCOR, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Centre has filed between 12 and 15 cases against endorsers or influencers, based on cases reported to the regulator.
