PAGCOR's compliance drive transforms Philippines iGaming market
16 October 2026
MANILA - The Philippines' online gambling market is seeing a major shift as underground operators migrate to the regulated space, driven by amnesty programs, increased enforcement, and improving market conditions.
In a major government offensive, four of the country's leading telecom carriers - PLDT/Smart, Globe Telecom, Converge, and Dito - joined a joint crackdown led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and National Telecommunications Commission in 2025. The cooperation saw 44 of 52 illegal gambling websites blocked, including major platforms like Poppo Live, BoloUP, and Himme.
Beyond the blocking of sites and apps, Philippine regulators are pushing international players like Google and Apple to remove the suspect gambling platforms from their stores. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has also been tasked with stronger scrutiny of digital wallet transactions connected to illegal gambling, as the black-market operators have grown ever savvier in targeting Filipino customers through aggressive online ads, influencer networks, and algorithm-driven promotions.
As pressure grows from enforcement, PAGCOR's efforts to encourage migration to the regulated market are starting to pay off. The country's gaming regulator launched a general amnesty alongside steep tax breaks in early 2025, as its chairman, Alejandro Tengco, put license applications on hold to allow the market to stabilize.
One result of this compliance push: the share of the unregulated market shrank from 70% to 65% in 2025, according to industry analyst Evan Spytma, CEO of Casino Plus. The chill on underground gambling comes as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched a ban on offshore operators in July 2024, a major move in cleaning up the market.
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For players on the fence, PAGCOR launched a guaranteed-player platform last year, a public database to verify which operators hold valid, legal licenses. PAGCOR has also coordinated with the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, and branches of the armed forces to go after black-market licences and sites.
Operators who do make the move to the regulated space will face stricter rules. The CICC has flagged unregulated gambling platforms for targeting minors and not properly verifying players' ages, among other modern safeguards available to PAGCOR licensees. In a statement to Rappler, the CICC warned that illegal games are "built to be predatory" in how they are designed to hook and retain customers.
Net net, PAGCOR and its enforcement partners have mounted a broad campaign in 2025 against illegal online gaming. Few expect the black market to disappear without more hard stops and policy work, but sweeter terms for regulated operators may just make it more costly to stay in the shadows.