State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) plans to decouple the agency’s dual roles as an operator and a regulator.
“PAGCOR’s dual role has served its purpose in the past but as the industry matured, it became clear that…a referee cannot also be a player on the same field,” said PAGCOR chairman and chief executive Alejandro Tengco at the Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) Summit 2025.
He said PAGCOR needed to obtain approval from the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG), which is reviewing the required documents.
Decoupling also requires legal consideration as PAGCOR is governed by Presidential Decree 1869 and Republic Act 9487, he said.
Tengco said Casino Filipino employees would be protected through redeployment, absorption by privatized operators or competitive retirement benefits once the agency’s gaming operations are privatized.
He said the Philippine gaming industry is on track for a record year in 2025 with gross gaming revenues (GGR) nearly doubling in the last two years.
Tengco said industry GGR climbed from $3.75 billion in 2022 to $6.5 billion in 2024. In the first half of this year, the total reached $3.8 billion, keeping the sector on track to meet its $7-billion full-year target.
PAGCOR’s own revenues for the first semester reached $1 billion.
“These numbers affirm the Philippines’ place as one of the fastest-growing and most important gaming markets in Asia,” Tengco said, adding that reforms have been implemented to ensure sustainable and responsible growth.
He said the rapid rise of electronic gaming has significantly contributed to the expansion but added that oversight must evolve to ensure integrity and player protection.
“The unprecedented and exponential growth of online gaming truly comes with success and revenues but, for us, our responsibility is to ensure that this sector’s growth comes not just with profit but with accountability, integrity and player protection,” he said.
Recent measures by the agency include the launch of the PAGCOR Guarantee Page to verify licensed platforms, responsible gaming tools like self-exclusion and betting limits, and a 24/7 helpline.
PAGCOR has also banned the use of credit cards and cryptocurrencies for betting, tightened rules on gambling advertisements and expanded coordination with law enforcement and cybercrime agencies to address illegal online gambling.
Tengco also noted the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list earlier this year, which he said strengthened investor confidence.
