PAGCOR Maintains E-Gaming Application Freeze as Licensed Operator Count Falls to 48

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has no immediate plans to reopen applications for new e-gaming operators as it moves to consolidate the country’s domestic online gaming industry, where the number of licensed operators has declined from 74 to just 48.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the regulator would maintain the moratorium that has been in place since March 2024, according to comments reported Thursday by The Philippine Star following a hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations.

“For now, I want the whole industry to consolidate. So that the weak can leave and when it consolidates, we will decide if we will issue licenses next time,” Tengco was quoted as saying.

According to the PAGCOR chief, the regulator discovered that some companies awarded licenses were not actually operating. Instead, some were holding onto their approvals without launching their businesses while attempting to sell their licenses.

Tengco said PAGCOR is now working to remove these inactive entities from the regulated market. His latest comments also shed more light on the reasoning behind the application freeze, which was initially introduced without a detailed explanation.

An official PAGCOR memorandum dated February 29, 2024, placed all accreditation applications from new Gaming System Service Provider applicants on hold beginning March 1 and continuing until further notice.

The classification covered operators that provide systems for electronic casino games, electronic bingo, sports betting and specialty games. PAGCOR later changed the terminology used for these businesses, referring to them as Gaming System Administrators.

The regulator said last year that it was still processing applications that had been submitted before the March 2024 deadline. At the time, Tengco explained that the moratorium was designed to prevent an excessive proliferation of domestic online gaming platforms.

PAGCOR also intends to maintain its current fee structure for the sector. E-gaming operators are charged 30 percent of gross gaming revenue, while online gaming operations associated with integrated resorts pay 25 percent. These rates have been in effect since January 1, 2025.

“Nothing will change. We can’t change it to have consistency in our revenue,” Tengco said.

PAGCOR expects the Philippine gaming industry to generate approximately PHP370 billion, or $6.5 billion, in gross gaming revenue this year. The projected figure would represent a decline from the PHP396.14 billion, or $6.9 billion, recorded in 2025. 

By fLEXI tEAM