The Philippines government, under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., may again miss its gross domestic product (GDP) growth targets this year, as corruption scandals rocked consumer spending and business confidence.
According to a survey of 14 economists by the Inquirer, GDP is likely to have only expanded by 4.2 percent in the third quarter, meaning 2025’s GDP grew just 4.8 percent. The figure would be a sharp decline from the 5.7 percent increase seen in 2024 and would fail to meet the government target of 5.5-6.5 percent GDP growth for the year.
Aside from the sharp GDP contraction in 2020 due to the pandemic, the figure would mark the lowest expansion seen since 2011, when the nation saw government spending fall significantly in the wake of an anti-corruption campaign.
Last year also marked significant changes in curbing gambling in the Philippines, with crackdowns on advertisements and promotions, an announced increase in the minimum guaranteed fee for online gaming operators (starting in April of this year), a B2B accreditation framework (requiring third-party gaming supplier accreditation by March 31st, 2026), the Anti-Offshore Gaming Operator Act of 2025, increased KYC protocols, minimum deposits and bet thresholds and delinking of gaming mini-apps from e-wallet platforms.
All of this comes after the total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) by presidential decree.
PAGCOR is still estimating it will grab some PHP116.65 billion ($2.04 billion) in revenue this year from the gaming sector, with up to PHP65 billion ($1.14 billion) coming from online gaming – and its Chairman still highlights the economic benefits of the sector.
