Is This Website Licensed? PAGCOR Wants Players to Be Able to Check on Their Phones

Image accompanying the Philippine state news agency PNA’s report on the app. Image source: PNA

In the Philippines, checking whether an online gambling website was legal used to mean going through lists on PAGCOR’s official website. Under the plan, this will be possible on a mobile phone starting this December.

The Philippine state news agency PNA reported on October 19 that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) plans to launch a mobile app in December 2026 to help players identify licensed online gambling platforms and avoid illegal ones. TV5 News also reported on it that day. Industry website CasinoReviews said PAGCOR had approved the development plan, but technical and security assessments still had to be passed before the official launch.

No information has yet been made public about the app’s name, its specific features, or the platforms on which it will be available.

The app targets a longstanding problem in Philippine regulation. After the comprehensive ban on offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in 2024, the regulatory focus shifted back to the domestic online gambling market, where illegal websites and copycat sites impersonating licensed platforms became a problem. Turning license checks into an app lowers the barrier to using them and gives users a way to report problems. Licensed platforms will have another means of verifying their identity, while illegal platforms will find it harder to attract new users.

December should reveal whether the technical assessment can be passed on time and whether the app will be linked to payment channels and telecommunications blocking. During the same period, PAGCOR is also preparing to exit the casinos it operates itself (see another article in this series).

Sources

• PNA: https://x.com/pnagovph/status/2112126620605513905
• TV5 News: https://x.com/TV5NewsPH/status/2112154900574671093
• CasinoReviews: https://x.com/_casinoreviews/status/2112182157561000349