PAGCOR fines gambling firm linked to content creator over unauthorised giveaway
The regulator ordered the operator linked to Ivana Alawi to stop the promotion and warned that repeat violations could lead to heavier penalties.
The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has fined an online gambling company linked to celebrity and content creator Ivana Alawi PHP1m (US$16,700) over an unauthorised mobile phone giveaway. PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco disclosed the penalty during a House of Representatives committee hearing on the regulator’s proposed 2027 budget.
The promotion involved a giveaway of 100 high-end mobile phones, reportedly worth more than PHP4m (US$66,700). Participants were required to follow the Facebook page of the gambling platform endorsed by Alawi to qualify.
Tengco said the company had not obtained PAGCOR approval for the promotion. The regulator ordered it to stop the campaign and imposed the PHP1m (US$16,700) fine, which the company has already paid.
PAGCOR also warned that any repeat violation could result in heavier penalties, including the suspension or cancellation of the operator’s licence. He said PAGCOR has authority to sanction the company because it is a licensed operator, while noting that around 50 per cent of online gambling operators in the Philippines are illegal.
