Terrestrial and online gambling have been allowed in the Philippines for a long time, and gaming licenses for offshore companies are also issued there. At the same time, the landscape of online gambling in this archipelago, which counts over 7,000 islands, is quite special. To understand this, you need to distinguish between the country itself and the Cagayan Special Economic Zone. This zone, near the airport, is overseen by a commission called the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Internet gambling licenses are issued directly by this special economic zone and CEZA has the ability to issue a gambling license to a company without having to first obtain permission from the national government. It is clear that the Philippines has a very unique approach to online gambling.

 

The Details of the License Issued by the Government of the Philippines

For years, the state-owned company Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) was the only permitted provider of gambling services in the Philippines. The company offered casino games, bingo, sports betting, and online trading. However, it also operated some real casinos in the archipelago. In 2000, PAGCOR granted Sports and Games Entertainment Corp. the very first casino license in the regulator’s history. In 2002, the Philippine state joined forces with Philweb Corporation to jointly regulate and tax online casinos, which were growing in number.

To facilitate the development of the iGaming market, Philweb introduced so-called MPEGs, machines placed in cybercafes, with which it was possible to bet online. You should know that Philweb has no competition in this field in the Philippines. Baccarat is responsible for 40% of the revenues, even in our list of online casino in the Philippines. In order to obtain a license from the government of the Philippines, the applicant must:

• Necessarily negotiate with PAGCOR, which will subsequently offer the provider’s games in the gaming cafes.
• Have at least 1.2 million Philippine pesos and a sophisticated business plan.
• Agree to the government withholding 28% of gross revenue as a fee.

 

Player Protection

The entire PAGCOR website is very clear and detailed, so that all information can be easily looked up. This is also true of the responsible gaming information, which has its own subpage. Here you will find the usual measures for the protection of players. This starts with the classic self-exclusion and goes all the way to a special code of conduct that all participants must adhere to.

This code also states, for example, that players must be at least 21 years old. However, it is not clear what sanctions are imposed for non-compliance with the code. At least a central register exists, in which the persons affected by the exclusion are included in order to prevent their play in all online casinos in the Philippines.

 

Technical Conditions

For the offshore license from the Philippines, it must be ensured that the websites can only be accessed from outside the national territory. This is still relatively easy to do with geoblocking. However, the second condition is also interesting, namely that Philippine citizens located abroad must not have access either. Conversely, this means that online casinos with a Philippine license must impose strict regulations for registration.

 

How Reliable is an Online Casino in the Philippines for You as a Player?

The official website of PAGCOR makes a good impression. As an interested player, you are literally bombarded with legal texts and regulations, where you can read everything there is to know (in English) about the licenses of the Philippines. The biggest drawback, however, is and remains the country’s uncertain political situation.

Nobody knows if a new decree will be issued tomorrow declaring all online casinos illegal. The question would then be quite simple, what happens to the money in your credit account. Therefore, despite the beautiful appearance, we advise against online casinos with a license from the Philippines.

 

Gambling Protection in 2021 | Everyone Should Set a Limit for Themselves

The year 2020 was a pure state of emergency for the whole world. Since many people were suddenly alone at home, they no longer have an overview. Those who were previously in the real casino or at horse races, register online partly at dubious games casino providers or sports betting sites. Of course, in times like these, scammers also have free rein. The whole life takes place mainly on the Internet. Therefore, one should be more careful than ever. Those who are already at risk should get themselves blocked and contact a therapist.

Players who are only now signing up to online casinos should, in turn, set limits and check their finances well so that there are no problems. Many commissions warn that even in 2021 many players will go bankrupt and this is not a good forecast. Especially not because the debt spiral is currently going down sharply. This makes it all the more important to seek help in times of need.

The Philippine authorities, as well as many other countries, present assistance measures that can be read on the respective money casino websites. There are also forums on the web where one can exchange information with others. A lot is being done to curb gambling addiction. The commissions also take care of this, or it is checked whether the casinos inform about it and whether they offer a service.