Section
Analysis
In-depth analysis of gaming regulation, market structure, and industry strategy.
8 articles
Will the World Cup Move the Needle on Philippine Sports Betting GGR? Doing the Math on the 15% Rate
The 2026 World Cup is the first marquee global event to test PAGCOR's January rate cut. An analytic read of what a six-week, 104-match tournament could plausibly contribute to Philippine sports betting gross gaming revenue — and why the headline event effect is smaller and more structural than the promotional noise suggests.
The DigiPlus 50 Percent: What Market Concentration Means for the Philippine Online Gambling Sector
DigiPlus Interactive controls roughly half of the Philippine licensed online gambling market — 48 percent of the PHP 154.5 billion e-games segment in 2024, settling closer to 40 percent in H1 2025 as regulatory pressure and new competition arrived. An analytic read of what a single-operator market concentration of this scale means for PAGCOR regulation, for competitive dynamics, for the Senate-level ban deliberations, and for the structural future of Philippine online gambling.
PAGCOR Cuts Live Sports Betting GGR Share Rate from 17.5% to 15%: Why the Math Changed
PAGCOR's January 26, 2026 revision of the live sports betting gross gaming revenue share rate — from 17.5 percent to 15 percent, with the 30 percent virtual betting rate maintained — was the regulator's first substantive accommodation to the licensed online gambling sector since the August 2025 BSP delinking order. An analytic read of what the 2.5-point cut signals about PAGCOR's strategic posture, what it means for ArenaPlus and competing PIGO sportsbooks, and where the next regulatory adjustment is most likely to come.
The E-Wallet Delinking Order, Six Months On: What the August 2025 BSP Directive Did to Philippine Online Gaming
An analytic read of the structural impact of the August 14, 2025 BSP directive requiring e-wallets to remove in-app links to online gambling platforms. The order produced a 50 percent immediate transaction decline, a 49 percent drop in PAGCOR online gaming income through Q4 2025, a 25 percent DigiPlus revenue decline in Q1 2026, and a 39 percent EBITDA decline at Bloomberry for full-year 2025. What changed, what didn't, and what the new equilibrium looks like.
The Post-POGO Cambodia Scam-Casino Nexus: OFAC, Chen Zhi, and What Sihanoukville Looks Like Now
An analytic read of the post-POGO Cambodian gaming structure that 2026 has revealed: the Chen Zhi-led Prince Group's $15B forfeiture, the OFAC sanctions on Senator Kok An, and the eight Cambodian casinos stripped of licenses since April. What the actions describe — and what they imply for any operator considering Cambodia as a regulatory home.
Senate Bill 2580 in Plain English: The PAGCOR Reform That Wasn't
Before Senate Bill 2814 became the leading proposal to restructure PAGCOR, an earlier bill — SB 2580 — tried to do something similar and quietly died in committee. Understanding why it failed explains the shape of the reform that replaced it.
Why Cambodia Won the POGO Refugees: A Geopolitical Read
When the Philippines shut down POGOs in 2024, the displaced operators had options. Vietnam was closed. Myanmar was burning. Laos was too small. Cambodia opened a door — and built a three-tier licensing framework around it. The geopolitics behind a regional rebalancing.
PIGO vs e-Games: A Regulatory Maze, Mapped
The Philippines has two parallel online gaming license systems, both administered by the same regulator. How they differ, where they overlap, and why the confusion costs operators millions and leaves players unprotected.