Part III: Business & Regulation · Banking, Chips & Financial Operations

PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation)

Asia-Pacific VariationsVERIFIED

(1) PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) is the government-owned and controlled corporation that regulates and operates gaming in the Philippines. PAGCOR licenses and supervises all casino operations in the Philippines, including Entertainment City in Parañaque (Manila’s integrated resort district), as well as smaller casinos and gaming venues throughout the country. PAGCOR issues the Casino Regulatory Manual that establishes standards for casino operations, internal controls, chip management, count procedures, and financial reporting for Philippine licensees. PAGCOR also operates its own chain of Casino Filipino properties. The corporation’s mandate includes generating revenue for government programs while ensuring responsible gaming and preventing criminal infiltration of the industry. (2) The government-owned and controlled corporation responsible for regulating, licensing, operating, and authorizing games of chance in the Philippines. PAGCOR has a tripartite mandate: (1) regulation, management, permitting, and licensing of gambling activities; (2) revenue collection to support national development programs; and (3) promotion of tourism. PAGCOR issues master licenses and sub-licenses for casino operations (both land-based and online/POGO), electronic gaming, sports betting, bingo, and other gaming activities. The regulator conducts compliance audits, financial inspections, and enforcement actions against non-compliant operators. (3) PAGCOR is the Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation responsible for regulating and operating all gambling activities in the Philippines. Established under Presidential Decree 1067-A (1976), PAGCOR serves as both regulator and operator: it licenses and supervises private casino operators while also operating its own Casino Filipino branded properties. PAGCOR is the primary licensing body for land-based casinos, electronic gaming, sports betting, and (formerly) offshore gaming operations. The corporation is a major revenue contributor to the Philippine government, funding significant portions of the national budget.

In practice

PAGCOR’s Casino Regulatory Manual (Version 4+) defines key Philippine casino terminology including “fill,” “gaming day,” “gaming paraphernalia,” and other operational terms. PAGCOR recently underwent organizational restructuring with plans to transition to a purely regulatory role while privatizing casino operations. PAGCOR has significantly tightened its accreditation requirements for iGaming service providers, with full accreditation mandatory by March 2026. PAGCOR’s dual role as both regulator and operator has been criticized for creating conflicts of interest. In 2024, legislation was passed to privatize PAGCOR’s casino operations while retaining its regulatory functions.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary, 1,090 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.