PAGCOR plans to launch an app by the end of 2026 to help players identify licensed online gaming operators, its chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco told a House budget hearing on 24 August. Tengco said the app is also expected to provide a dispute-resolution channel for users of licensed platforms.
The planned tool could give licensed operators a verification route and customers a formal channel for disputes.
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PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the regulator should update its framework as the Philippine gaming industry changes, while maintaining predictable rules for licensed operators. Tengco cited a proposal to separate PAGCOR’s regulatory and operating functions, which remains under review by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations. If that review is completed, the proposal will go to the Office of the President, which could issue an executive order if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. finds merit in it.
Reportedly, PAGCOR plans to launch an app later this year to help players in the Philippines identify licensed online gaming platforms. The app will supplement PAGCOR Guarantee, the regulator’s website for checking licences, established in 2025.
It was reported that PAGCOR welcomed officials from Malawi’s MAGLA for a regulatory knowledge exchange. The programme aims to support development of Malawi’s gaming industry.
S&P Global Ratings said supportive visa policies and a recovery in online gambling could return Philippine gross gaming revenue to growth. PAGCOR reported a 15.9% year-on-year decline in GGR in the first quarter of 2026, with electronic gaming down 22.4%. S&P analyst Flora Chang also warned that higher energy costs and proposed online gambling rule changes could weigh on revenue and profitability.
PAGCOR ordered gambling licensees and other sector participants in the Philippines to replace existing responsible-gambling adverts with National Problem Gambling Helpline materials, according to the report. The replacement deadline is 15 July 2026, and the messages must remain displayed until 15 September. A progress report is due to PAGCOR’s Gaming Licensing and Development Department by 16 July.