Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is the Philippines' state gaming corporation: it licenses all gaming operations in the country and runs its own Casino Filipino network. Electronic and online gaming outside land-based casinos is licensed by its Electronic Gaming Licensing Department (EGLD); its Gaming License rules date from 22 November 2023, the GSA accreditation rules from 2 October 2025.

For operators (B2C): a venue's Gaming License per game offering — traditional and electronic bingo, eCasino, sports betting, specialty games, online poker, numeric games — or, since July 2026, a single Unified Gaming License per venue. The online platform is only an adjunct to the venue: it serves its registered players aged 21+, takes registrations and bets from the Philippines only, runs full KYC within 3 days or before the first withdrawal and needs a PHP 500 first deposit. For suppliers (B2B): Gaming System Administrator (GSA) accreditation per game offering and certificates for game studios, aggregators, payment, marketing, KYC and support providers and testing labs; foreign providers need it or an accredited local corporation. Slot RTP is 90% to under 97%, and sports betting excludes local horse racing, eSports and e-sabong.

As of 2 July 2026, a Gaming License costs PHP 300,000 for 3 years (bingo, eCasino) or PHP 200,000 for 2 years (sports, specialty, numeric games, poker), renewal PHP 200,000 every 2 years, inspection and processing PHP 50,000 each, reprinting PHP 20,000, extensions PHP 1,000 a day, and deposits per offering PHP 100,000–1,000,000 (PHP 500,000 for eCasino). The Unified Gaming License: PHP 1,200,000 for 3 years, PHP 800,000 per 2-year renewal, a PHP 2 million deposit per venue, other fees as for the standard licence. A GSA pays PHP 5 million per offering and a deposit of PHP 25 million (one offering) or PHP 50 million (more), and from July 2026 at least PHP 9 million a month with eCasino or PHP 3 million without (from 2027 PHP 10,500,000 and PHP 4 million); the minimum monthly GGR is PHP 30 million or PHP 15 million, and missing it for 5 months triggers an accreditation review. A game studio (per offering), aggregator or service provider pays PHP 250,000 plus a PHP 1 million deposit, a testing lab PHP 500,000; B2B accreditation runs 2 years (3 for applications paid before 31 December 2025), and a Permit to Hold for equipment and studios PHP 1 million a year. The PAGCOR share of on-site and online GGR is 30% (eCasino, virtual sports, RNG games), 25% (eBingo), 20% (traditional bingo from 2026) and 15% (live sports, live games, poker on rake and entry fees), plus a 10% audit fee on the share except for local venue machines, paid every Monday, with 12% a year on arrears. Integrated resort casinos investing US$200 million or more pay at most 22% of GGR on electronic games, excluding the 5% franchise tax. Renewal is filed 30 days before expiry; a new venue must open within a year of the licence.

An operator is an SEC-registered corporation with capital stock of at least PHP 5 million (PHP 3 million paid up). Venues sit in malls, DOT-accredited hotels or resorts, PAGCOR casinos, cockpit arenas or racetracks, and in other commercial buildings at least 200 m from schools and places of worship; an eCasino venue needs 25+ terminals (Unified Gaming License venues: also 25 for eBingo, 25 seats for bingo), and staff aged 21+ hold a Gaming Employment License. A GSA passes a probity check at its own cost, enrols with the GLDD as a supplier, contracts 10 venues within 12 months and 20 within 24 months, runs 24/7 support, acts on player complaints within 72 hours and connects to PAGCOR's audit platform and the NDRP restricted-persons list; content providers keep live studios in the Philippines (4+ tables for eCasino). PAGCOR publishes lists of accredited GSAs with brands and domains, gaming venue licensees and approved games, and since 2025 has run the PAGCOR Guarantee licence check.