The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has reported that its net revenues from the country’s electronic games sector (e-games) hit P114.83 billion in the first half of this year.
In a statement, PAGCOR said the amount accounts for about 53.47 percent of the P215 billion total gross gaming revenues of the Philippine gaming industry during the period. The sector is composed of e-games, e-bingo, and bingo grantees.
PAGCOR chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco said “PAGCOR recognizes the earning potential of the E-Games sector, but as the country’s gaming regulator, our foremost responsibility is to ensure that growth comes with accountability”
“Our role goes beyond revenue generation; and as partners of the government in nation-building, we are committed to always strike a balance between enabling industry expansion and ensuring it aligns with responsible gaming standards,” Tengco added.
PAGCOR recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ad Standards Council (ASC) to strengthen the monitoring of gambling-related advertisements across all platforms. It has recently ordered the takedown of all gambling advertisements in public spaces and primetime television by August 15 this year.
“These efforts are part of our broader mission to ensure that online gambling is not only well-regulated but also aligned with public interest,” Tengco said.
PAGCOR’s revenue report and Tengco’s statement have come in the midst of the current ongoing debate on whether e-games need to be banned totally as advocated by some quarters, including certain lawmakers who have already filed proposed bills in Congress which seek to demolish the sector totally, or just have its governing policy regime reformed and strictly regulated.
The advocacy to totally ban e-games is in response to the notorious scams of the now banned operations of the Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations (POGO) which had indeed corrupted various sectors including government people, families and society as a whole. POGOS indeed must be totally banned.
On the other hand, certain sectors advocate that legitimate e-games need only to have their operating policies properly reformed and their operations strictly and effectively regulated This includes banning minors’ easy access to casinos. Such advocacy is partly founded on the need for the revenues e-games generate which are largely designed to support nation building and humanitarian causes like support for the expanded PhilHealth benefits for sick and hospitalized indigent people and senior citizens.
One such advocacy group is the newly organized and registered Gaming Advocates for Meaningful and Ethical Reforms Coalition (Gamers Coalition) which urges unity among its industry stakeholders and players in engaging government reform initiatives. It has taken the side of REFORM based on accurate and relevant terms, and stresses the fact that the real enemy is ILLEGAL and IMMORAL GAMBLING.
Interestingly, gaming in the Philippines has become a billion-peso industry. Thus, left undisciplined, it is prone to abuse and even turn criminal as what happened to the loosely regulated POGOs. When banned absolutely, it may likely go underground as what happened in the Netherlands. Revenue-wise, however, it can be lavishly spoiling.
Records show that last year, 2024, PAGCOR’s gross gaming revenues hit P410.5 BILLION, equivalent to 1.5% of the Philippines’ total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This year, as indicated the opening narration of this article, PAGCOR’s January to June net revenues have already reached P114.83 Billion or about 43.47% of its P215.83% of its gross revenues. Quite impressive indeed.
“As of May 2025, 52.5% of PAGCOR’s Gross Gaming Revenues came from Electronic Gaming, which supports nation-building, universal healthcare, and the real estate industry, among others,” the statement pointed out.
Given this facts, what better option may we take – Total Ban or Reform and Effective Regulation? When faced with such difficult choice, the wiser course of action to take is to consult experts. Happily, we have one such expert available – Atty, Tonet Quiogue, a gaming lawyer.
Atty. Quiogue’s counsel follows: The real enemy is ILLEGAL gaming. Illegal gaming operators “bypass all regulations, pay no taxes, and provide no player protection. If the goal is to eliminate the social ills of gambling [. . . .], then the logical approach is to surgically strike at these illicit operations, NOT TO OUTLAW THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY and penalize legitimate stakeholders.”