Philippines to launch app to curb illegal online gambling, with PAGCOR saying about 50% of sites used in the country are unlicensed

PAGCOR says it will launch a digital app that lets online gamblers in the Philippines access only licensed sites that meet the regulator’s security requirements. For PSPs and operators, the point is straightforward: the state wants a cleaner line between regulated traffic and the informal market, and it is building another tool to draw that line.

1. Alexander H. Tengco, chairman and CEO of PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), revealed the project during his presentation to the House Committee on Appropriations as part of the agency’s budget hearing. PAGCOR then confirmed the plan in an official press release.
2. According to Tengco, the app will allow online gaming users in the Philippines to access only sites that are licensed and compliant with the security requirements imposed by the regulator. In practice, this is a gatekeeping tool: if a platform is not on the approved side of the fence, the user is supposed to see it less often, if at all.
3. PAGCOR said the app has two core objectives. The first is to reduce illegal online gambling, which authorities in the Philippines still describe as a persistent problem. The second is to protect players by keeping them on platforms that are regulated and supervised by the agency.
4. The regulator said that around 50% of the online gambling sites accessed in the Philippines are illegal. Tengco added that keeping users inside the regulated channel has been a continuing challenge for PAGCOR and for law enforcement partners in the country.
5. This is not PAGCOR’s first pass at the problem. In 2025, the regulator launched the PAGCOR Guarantee page, an online verification system that lets users check whether a gaming provider has a current license. PAGCOR says the new app is meant to extend that effort and give users in the Philippines a more direct way to confirm a site’s legality before placing a bet.

PAGCOR is also working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. The stated goal of that cooperation is to prosecute illegal gambling operators and identify and block them.