Section
Regulation
PAGCOR rulemaking, Senate bills, license frameworks, and AML compliance across PH gaming.
13 articles
Inside CEZA and Aurora: The Philippine Economic Zones That Defined a Gaming Era — and the One That Refused to Host POGOs
The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority were the two Philippine special economic zones that held independent gaming-licensing authority under the country's freeport framework. CEZA's position — that it never licensed POGOs, only its own iGaming framework under Republic Act 7922 — and Aurora's separate trajectory tell a quietly important parallel history of Philippine gaming policy that sits underneath the better-known PAGCOR narrative.
Senate Anti-Online Gambling Act Hearing Reopens as Tulfo Pushes Total Ban and Meta No-Shows
The Philippine Senate's Committee on Games and Amusement reopened public hearings on February 11, 2026 to debate seven Senate bills filed under the Anti-Online Gambling Act umbrella, with chair Senator Erwin Tulfo publicly committing to a total ban posture. Meta's no-show triggered a show-cause order. The committee's deliberations now shape the regulatory horizon for the entire Philippine licensed online gambling sector.
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.
After the Bell: The Resurgent Underground of Philippine Cash Gambling
When the BSP ordered Philippine e-wallets to remove gambling links in August 2025, the licensed sector lost a quarter of its transactional baseline overnight. Where the displaced activity went — and where it always was — is the story of the country's parallel cash-gambling economy, the sari-sari store infrastructure that feeds it, the e-sabong shadow that never fully closed, and the Atong Ang case that anchors the political-economy backdrop.
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.
PAGCOR Sets August 1 Deadline to Decommission Non-Compliant B2B Gaming Systems
A May 21 memorandum from PAGCOR's Electronic Gaming Licensing Department gives every B2B supplier in the Philippine online gaming sector until July 31 to clear a fresh accreditation, or face decommissioning of their platforms and equipment from August 1, 2026.
Cambodia Revokes Zhong Huawei Casino License as Sihanoukville Crackdown Hits Eight Operators
Cambodia's Commercial Gambling Management Commission revoked the license of Casino Zhong Huawei Golden Sand International Entertainment in Sihanoukville on April 30, 2026, three weeks after a joint raid detained 104 foreign nationals and seized nearly 1,600 devices. Eight casinos have now lost licenses since April.
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.
GCash Casino Partnerships Hit 47 in Q2 2026 as Cashless Push Accelerates
GCash's integrations with PAGCOR-licensed gaming operators have grown to 47, with the e-wallet now embedded in nearly every major PIGO and e-Games platform. The pace of integration is reshaping how Filipino players fund accounts — and how regulators monitor the flow.
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.
Cambodia Gaming License Framework: Three-Tier System Targets Former POGO Operators
Cambodia's new three-tier licensing framework signals Southeast Asia's next regulatory battleground as displaced POGO operators seek new jurisdictions.
PAGCOR Privatization Bill SB 2814 Advances in Senate Committee
SB 2814 proposes separating PAGCOR's role as regulator from operator, marking the most significant restructuring proposal in the agency's 47-year history.