Philippine regulator Pagcor will launch a mobile app to verify the licensing status of online casinos. The rollout is scheduled before the end of 2026, chairman and CEO Alejandro H Tengco told budget hearings in the lower house of parliament.
The app builds on the existing Pagcor Guarantee verification system launched in June 2025. The goal is to reduce illegal online gambling and protect players by steering them toward platforms holding an official licence. According to Tengco, around 50% of online casinos available in the Philippines operate without a licence. 'The easier it is for players to identify where they can legally play, the better we protect them from illegal operators and the risks associated with them,' he said.
Pagcor is working on the task alongside the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC). Joint efforts focus on identifying unlicensed operators and blocking financial channels serving illegal platforms, primarily payment systems.
Besides licence checks, the app will offer players a dispute resolution mechanism with licensed operators. Tengco noted that the current version of Pagcor Guarantee already allows players to verify a casino's status before registration and deposit.
In the second quarter of 2025, Pagcor recorded GGR of PHP 88.13 bn, down 20.33% year on year. In June 2025 the regulator introduced minimum guaranteed fees for operators: PHP 9 mn per month for casinos with online games (at revenue of PHP 30 mn and a 30% tax rate) and PHP 3 mn for betting operators without a casino.
