PAGCOR says online gaming is one of its biggest revenue streams but illegal sites pose risks
Online gaming has emerged as one of the government’s biggest revenue drivers this year, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said today, even as it raised alarm over unregulated sites preying on Filipino players.
In a report to the House Committee on Games and Amusements, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the licensed online gaming sector earned Php69bn in license fees from January to July this year alone.
Of the total, Php41bn came from electronic games (E-Games) while Php28 billion came from other online game offerings.
“Because of its huge potential, online gaming has become an important source of funds for our nation-building commitments, including PAGCOR’s support for education, health care, and community development,” Mr. Tengco said.
The PAGCOR chief added that in the first seven months of 2025, online gaming contributed Php27.47 billion to nation-building, funding corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs including Php14.72 billion for the Universal Health Care Law.
Other projects that will benefit from the robust performance of the online gaming sector are PAGCOR’s flagship CSR projects, including the construction of school buildings, socio-civic centers, wellness centers and E-Learning hubs.
“Every peso we collect from the gaming sector translates to meaningful projects such as classrooms for our children, health programs for our people, and safe spaces for communities in times of calamity. This is how we ensure that gaming directly benefits Filipinos,” Mr. Tengco said.
But he also warned of the growing threat of illegal online operators that entice players of all ages without safeguards.
“These illegal sites not only deprive the government of much-needed revenues but also expose Filipino players to numerous risks,” Mr. Tengco said.
He vowed stronger enforcement against such platforms and said that “PAGCOR is committed to strengthening regulation and enforcement to ensure that only legitimate and properly monitored operators are allowed to operate.”
In further news, PAGCOR also addressed concerns over a hacked National Database of Restricted Persons or NDRP, which it said is not a list of gambling addicts but a compilation of names of people who are not allowed to gamble such as government officials.
The state gaming regulator also said the hacked list did not come from the PAGCOR website but was likely obtained from one of its gaming licensees who have access to the NDRP so that they can screen and prevent restricted persons from gambling.
PAGCOR’s Gaming Licensing and Development Department or GLDD, which maintains the NDRP, also explained that the database is still being updated and needs more inputs from other government agencies.
Ma. Vina Claudette Oca, PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for GLDD, said the current database contains over 560,000 names only, mainly elected officials sourced from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) website.
“The names on the list are not necessarily addicted gamblers; most are government officials who, by law, are not allowed to enter gambling establishments, thus their inclusion in the NDRP,” Ms. Oca said. “There are also 1,711 banned persons in the NDRP. These are individuals who have been subject to requests for self-exclusion, family exclusion or exclusions initiated by our licensees, but they are not necessarily addicts or government officials,” she added.
She further explained that the NDRP is far from complete since there are millions of government workers nationwide.
PAGCOR issued the clarifications after social media posts said that hackers were able to access the NDRP, and erroneously claimed that the database is a list of gambling addicts.
