{"id":777031364,"date":"2025-09-08T08:21:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T11:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777031364"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:23:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T22:23:57","slug":"pagcor-ceo-insists-on-stricter-regulation-instead-of-online-gaming-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/pagcor-ceo-insists-on-stricter-regulation-instead-of-online-gaming-ban","title":{"rendered":"PAGCOR CEO presses for stricter regulation, instead of online gaming ban"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alejandro H. Tengco said prohibition would encourage illegal operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Philippines.- Alejandro H. Tengco, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), continues to press for stricter regulation for online gaming instead of a ban. He says that prohibition<\/a> would encourage illegal operations and deprive the government of revenues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking before industry stakeholders at the Light & Wonder iGaming Symposium at Newport World Resorts in Pasay City on Monday (September 8), Tengco said reforms implemented by PAGCOR, including reductions in license fee rates, have spurred growth in the electronic gaming sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tengco noted that electronic games revenue last year accounted for nearly half of the industry\u2019s gross gaming revenue of PHP372.33bn (US$6.57bn). For this year, the sector has already contributed<\/a> PHP114.83bn (US$2.02bn), more than land-based operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe igaming story in the Philippines is no longer just about growth; it\u2019s about how we grow \u2014 safely, fairly, and sustainably,\u201d Tengco said. \u201cWe support stricter regulations to protect our people, but we are against a total ban, which will only drive players to illegal operators and result in loss of revenues and jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco delivers his keynote address during the Light & Wonder iGaming Symposium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tengco emphasised PAGCOR\u2019s own reforms,<\/a> including the separation of regulatory and operational functions, stronger responsible gaming safeguards, stricter advertising standards, the upcoming launch of a 24\/7 helpline, and the adoption of digital tools such as the PAGCOR Guarantee portal and AI-driven monitoring systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also called on industry players to practice \u201ccompliance by design\u201d in their operations, follow anti-money laundering regulations and strengthen their KYC guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith responsible growth, compliance, and transparency, the Philippines can develop a safer, stronger, and globally competitive<\/strong> igaming industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> PAGCOR CEO recognised for leadership in promoting responsible advertising<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alejandro H. Tengco said prohibition would encourage illegal operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":226,"featured_media":10910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco advocates for enhanced regulation of online gaming in the Philippines over an outright ban, asserting that prohibition would foster illegal operations and diminish government revenues. He highlighted PAGCOR's reforms, including reduced license fees and strengthened responsible gaming measures, which have significantly boosted the electronic gaming sector's contribution to the nation's GGR. Tengco urged industry stakeholders to adopt \"compliance by design,\" reinforcing AML and KYC protocols for a safer and globally competitive iGaming market.","focusai_entities":"Alejandro H. Tengco, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Light & Wonder, Newport World Resorts","focusai_location":"The Philippines, Pasay City","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (1.0), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (0.9), affiliate_publisher (0.7), product_ux (0.7), tech_data (0.8), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (1.0), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"PAGCOR's Regulatory Impact","query":"How might PAGCOR's proposed regulatory reforms, including reduced license fees and enhanced compliance frameworks, influence the competitive landscape and market entry barriers for new iGaming operators in the Philippines?"},{"label":"Revenue vs. Illicit Market","query":"What specific economic models or empirical data support PAGCOR's assertion that a prohibition on online gaming would lead to greater revenue loss and an expansion of the illicit market, rather than achieving public interest objectives?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[156,16333],"tags":[4138,405,337,24804],"class_list":["post-777031364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation-news","category-south-east-asia-news","tag-online-gambling","tag-pagcor","tag-regulation","tag-the-philippines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777031364"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777031382,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777031364\/revisions\/777031382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777031364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777031364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777031364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}