{"id":777036978,"date":"2026-01-21T07:37:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777036978"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:11:06","slug":"why-effective-regulation-is-key-to-the-future-of-gaming-according-to-pagcor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/why-effective-regulation-is-key-to-the-future-of-gaming-according-to-pagcor","title":{"rendered":"PAGCOR CEO stresses importance of effective regulatory enforcement against illegal gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Alejandro Tengco spoke at ICE Barcelona 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The Philippines.- <strong>Alejandro H. Tengco<\/strong>, chairman and CEO at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), has stressed the importance of effective regulatory enforcement to sustain growth in the online gaming sector. Speaking at<strong> ICE Barcelona 2026<\/strong>, Tengco said the rapid expansion of digital gaming has reshaped the industry, erasing borders and exposing regulatory gaps that traditional systems were not designed to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe greatest threat to both regulators and licensed operators is not higher standards,\u201d he said during the speech in front of an international audience of regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. \u201cIt is the continued presence of illegal and unregulated actors that undermines trust and distorts competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PAGCOR CEO cited the Philippines\u2019 recent <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/pagcor-ceo-insists-on-stricter-regulation-instead-of-online-gaming-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">regulatory reset<\/a> as an example of how jurisdictions can respond decisively to emerging risks. He pointed to the government\u2019s decision to ban offshore gaming operators at the end of 2024 and a shift toward a more player-centric regulatory approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PAGCOR&#8217;s measures have included tighter know-your-customer and identity verification standards, mandatory responsible gaming tools such as self-exclusion and betting limits, and stricter controls on <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/pagcor-and-the-philippine-ad-council-agree-to-regulate-online-gambling-ads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gambling advertising<\/a> to protect minors and vulnerable groups, Tengco said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said financial safeguards were strengthened through <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/philippine-central-bank-orders-e-wallets-to-unlink-from-online-gambling-platforms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">restrictions on certain payment channels<\/a> and the introduction of a new minimum guaranteed fee for licensed online operators to ensure fair contribution to government revenues and promote transparency. \u201cRegulation is not about avoiding discomfort,\u201d said PAGCOR CEO. \u201cIt is about building a system that is resilient, accountable, and worthy of public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also noted PAGCOR\u2019s plans to decouple its regulatory and commercial functions, describing the reform as necessary to strengthen regulatory independence and align the Philippines with international best practices. \u201cAs PAGCOR transitions toward a purely regulatory role, our focus is to set clear rules, enforce them consistently, and create a gaming ecosystem that is fair, competitive, and resilient,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/PAGCOR-LOGO-FINAL-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href='https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/pagcor-approves-monthly-minimum-fees-for-gaming-system-administrators'>PAGCOR approves monthly minimum fees for gaming system administrators<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alejandro Tengco spoke at ICE Barcelona 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":226,"featured_media":777036979,"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 Tengco underscored the imperative of robust regulatory enforcement to foster sustainable growth in the online gaming sector, addressing the inherent regulatory gaps in a borderless digital landscape. He cited the Philippines' recent regulatory reset, including the ban on offshore gaming operators, enhanced KYC\/IDV, and responsible gaming mandates, alongside PAGCOR's strategic move to decouple its regulatory and commercial functions to bolster independence and align with international governance frameworks.","focusai_entities":"Alejandro H. Tengco, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, PAGCOR","focusai_location":"Philippines, Barcelona","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.95), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.98), operator_casino (0.95), affiliate_publisher (0.75), product_ux (0.8), tech_data (0.85), marketing_crm (0.75), payments_fraud_aml (0.9), investor_analyst (0.95), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (0.98)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"PAGCOR Decoupling Impact?","query":"What are the projected timelines and specific operational impacts of PAGCOR's planned decoupling of its regulatory and commercial functions on both existing licensees and potential market entrants?"},{"label":"Philippines Regulatory Model?","query":"How does the Philippines' 'player-centric regulatory approach,' including the ban on offshore gaming operators and enhanced KYC\/RG measures, compare in effectiveness and economic impact to other leading iGaming jurisdictions?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[24628,156,158,16333],"tags":[20479,405,337],"class_list":["post-777036978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlight-of-the-week","category-regulation-news","category-slider-home","category-south-east-asia-news","tag-online-gaming","tag-pagcor","tag-regulation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036978","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=777036978"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777037030,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777036978\/revisions\/777037030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777036979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777036978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777036978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777036978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}