The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has no plans to reopen applications for new e-gaming operators as it seeks to consolidate the domestic online gaming market, where the number of licensees has fallen to 48 from 74.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the regulator would retain a moratorium in effect since March 2024, according to comments reported Thursday by The Philippine Star following a House Committee on Appropriations hearing.
“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.
The PAGCOR chief said the regulator had discovered that some companies granted licenses were not operating and were instead keeping their approvals idle while attempting to sell them.
PAGCOR is working to remove such entities from the regulated market, he added. The latest remarks provide further context for a freeze that was originally announced without an explanation.
An official PAGCOR memorandum, dated February 29th, 2024, placed all accreditation applications from new Gaming System Service Provider applicants in abeyance from March 1st until further notice.
The category covered operators providing systems for electronic casino games, electronic bingo, sports betting and specialty games. PAGCOR subsequently adopted the term Gaming System Administrator for these operators.
The regulator said last year that it continued to process applications submitted before the March 2024 cutoff. Tengco said at the time that the moratorium was intended to prevent an excessive proliferation of domestic online gaming platforms.
PAGCOR also plans to keep its existing fee rates unchanged. E-gaming operators are charged 30 percent of GGR, while online gaming operations linked to integrated resorts pay 25 percent. The rates have been in force since January 1st, 2025.
“Nothing will change. We can’t change it to have consistency in our revenue,” Tengco said.
PAGCOR expects Philippine industry GGR to reach approximately PHP370 billion ($6.5 billion) this year, below the PHP396.14 billion ($6.9 billion) recorded in 2025.
