PAGCOR retains freeze on new online gaming licences
The regulator says it will first assess the performance and composition of the current licensed market before deciding whether to admit additional operators.
The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) will not add new online gaming operators to the regulated market in the immediate future, Chairman Alejandro Tengco has said. Speaking during a House Committee on Appropriations hearing, Tengco said the regulator would retain the moratorium on new online gaming licences introduced in March 2024.
The moratorium prevents PAGCOR from accepting new applications for online gaming licences, keeping the number of licensed operators at its current level while the regulator reviews and consolidates the existing market. The policy was introduced after PAGCOR raised concerns about the proliferation of online gaming platforms.
There are currently 48 PAGCOR -licensed online gaming operators, down from 74. Tengco said the regulator wants the sector to consolidate further before considering whether to resume issuing new licences. He also noted that the regulator had identified licence holders that were not actively operating and were instead retaining their approvals with the intention of selling them. PAGCOR is taking steps to remove these entities from the market, he said.
The gaming authority will also retain its existing fee structure. E-gaming operators are subject to a 30 per cent fee on gross gaming revenue (GGR), while integrated resort operators pay 25 per cent. Tengco said keeping the rates unchanged would help maintain consistency in PAGCOR’s revenue.
The regulator has projected the country’s 2026 gaming GGR to reach around P370bn (US$5.97bn), compared with P396.14bn (US$6.3bn) recorded in 2025. PAGCOR is also working on a consumer-facing app designed to help users distinguish licensed online gambling platforms from unregulated sites.
