Under the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), electronic gaming operators are allowed to offer number games, including lottery, online.
According to a memorandum from PAGCOR, cited by Philstar, minimum bets are confined to PHP5, while operators have to pay application fees of PHP200,000 for a two-year license and a PHP200,000 cash deposit per gaming venue.
The gaming regulator is then set to receive some 15 percent of the gross gaming revenue of the live-streamed games and an initial 35 percent share of RNG (random number generator)-based games from July to December of this year.
Under PAGCOR’s promise to encourage the eGaming sector, this rate will fall to 30 percent for RNG-based games starting from January of 2025.
Authorities assure that the new format will be unlike that offered by the Philippines Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO).
PAGCOR’s role in offshore gaming is rapidly being reshaped, due to ban on POGOs under its purview by year-end, but this has also caused speculation as to how the onshore market can benefit, and see better oversight.
PIGOs can legitimately operate, catering purely to local clientele, offering a variety of eGaming options through various licensed venues, providing growing tax revenue for the authority and for the government.
The transition away from offshore could see strong increases in the space, which has already been steadily growing since the pandemic forced punters to stay at home.
Diversification of gaming and growth of play types such as online Bingo and online slot streaming has been a strong part of the transition, marking how flexible the Philippine market is to adversity.
