PAGCOR Plans App to Verify Licensed Casinos
Emily Patel 
Key Takeaways
- PAGCOR will launch a mobile app before the end of 2026 so players can check whether an online casino is licensed.
- Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco said that about 50% of online gaming sites accessed in the Philippines operate without a license.
- The app will extend the PAGCOR Guarantee verification tool and add a dispute-resolution channel for licensed operators.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will develop a mobile application to help players distinguish licensed online casinos from unregulated platforms. Chairman and chief executive Alejandro H. Tengco outlined the plan during a House Committee on Appropriations budget hearing. The app is scheduled for release before year-end 2026.
Objectives and Illegal Site Challenge
Tengco framed two objectives: reduce traffic to illegal sites and steer players toward operators that sit under PAGCOR supervision. He said roughly half of online gaming sites reached from the Philippines currently lack a license, and that keeping play inside the regulated sector remains an ongoing challenge for the regulator and law-enforcement partners. “The easier it is for them to identify where they can legally play, the better we can protect them from illegal operators and the risks that come with unregulated gaming,” he said.
Existing Tools and Industry Context
The product builds on PAGCOR Guarantee, the web verification service launched in June 2025. That site lists licensed internet gaming platforms and lets users confirm status before depositing. The forthcoming app is intended to put the same check on a phone, with an additional formal dispute-resolution path for problems with licensed operators. PAGCOR is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center. The partnership also targets payment channels used by unauthorized platforms.
The announcement lands as PAGCOR reports weaker industry numbers. Second-quarter 2026 gross gaming revenue was PHP88.13 billion, down 20.33% year on year. The regulator has kept a freeze on new e-gaming applications while the licensed operator count has fallen from 74 to 48, and it has raised minimum guaranteed fees for online casino and sports-betting licensees. A consumer-facing app is therefore both a player-protection measure and a channel-control tool: if players can verify a brand on a phone before they tap a deposit, unlicensed operators lose a primary acquisition path.
For operators, listing accuracy and store-compliant mobile presence become more visible. Players who use official App Store or Google Play listings, or operator PWAs, will have a regulator-backed way to confirm they are on a licensed product. Unlicensed apps and sideloaded APKs sit outside that loop. For users, the practical effect is a lower-friction check against payment fraud, unpaid withdrawals and data risk that typically sit with unregulated sites. Implementation details—iOS and Android availability, exact data fields, and how the app will handle geo and age gates—have not yet been published.
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