The gambling industry in the Philippines has a certain scale in Asia. It has legal casinos, mainly concentrated in specific areas. Online gambling is also quite active, attracting some international players. However, online gambling has also bred illegal operations. While regulating legal gambling,
On March 11, Colonel Eleazar Baber, the chief of police headquarters in Rizal Province, Philippines, issued an order demanding an immediate investigation into the rampant illegal gambling activities across the province, particularly targeting reports involving police officers' participation. Various
Philippine casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corporation's 2025 performance was severely dragged down by a weak tourism sector and an offshore gaming ban, with significant declines in the VIP and high-end midfield markets, leading to a net loss of 2.64 billion pesos (approximately 44.74 million USD
Philippine gaming giant Bloomberry Resorts Corp has completed the sale of Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju Island, South Korea, officially exiting the Korean gaming market. On Wednesday, Bloomberry's indirect subsidiary Golden & Luxury Co Ltd divested its casino operations to a new company, Heaven Co
The Philippine government has recently launched an unprecedented inter-departmental joint law enforcement operation, targeting the rapidly spreading illegal online gambling within the country. The coalition, composed of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC), Philippine Nationa
Philippine gaming giant Bloomberry Resorts Corporation issued a rare warning in its latest annual report, for the first time listing artificial intelligence (AI) as a potential risk factor for the gaming industry. The report points out that the rapid development of AI technology may lead to a large
PhilWeb Corporation, a listed electronic gaming and digital entertainment infrastructure provider on the Philippine Stock Exchange, recently announced that its ownership has officially transitioned to Nexora Holdings Inc. and Velora Holdings Inc. These two companies, closely related to the existing
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) announced that a national linked bingo event will be held on March 29 at multiple branches of Casino Filipino. The total prize money for this competition reaches up to 2.9 million pesos (approximately 49,470 USD), all tax-free, aiming to prov
The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue has officially announced that, according to the new law signed by President Marcos, all offshore gambling operations and related activities are completely illegalized nationwide. The old licensing system has been completely abolished, and the industry's "leg
The encrypted communication app Telegram has temporarily avoided being completely banned after last-minute negotiations with Philippine government officials. Last week, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) warned that the platform, being used for online scams, illegal g
Philippine digital entertainment and online gambling giant DigiPlus Interactive's chairman Eusebio Tanco recently completed a significant additional purchase, buying 63.1 million shares at a price of 16.4 pesos per share, representing approximately 1.4% of the company's issued share capital, with a
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos recently directed all government departments to collaborate with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to update the national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing strategy. The Chief of the Philippine National Police, Jose Merenciano Nartatez
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos recently made it clear at the ASEAN forum that he hopes his successor will continue the economic and regulatory reforms of the current government after 2028, with particular emphasis on the major reshaping of the online gambling industry. Although no new policie
Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, in a recent hearing, pressured the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center to adopt tougher measures to curb the proliferation of illegal online gambling sites. He described the growth of these sites as "mushrooms" — "shut down today, pop up tomorrow,
Henry Aguda, the Minister of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the Philippines, recently revealed that the authorities are considering whether to ban the communication platform Telegram. The reason is that intelligence shows that some illegal gambling operators ha
The sale plan of the Philippines integrated resort "City of Dreams Manila" has been officially shelved. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco Entertainment, revealed in the latest financial report meeting that the company has completed a strategic assessment and decided to continue holding 50% of t
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is brewing a "regulatory combination punch" for online gambling, covering the entire chain from player identity verification, advertising placement restrictions to problem gambling intervention. The most attention-grabbing aspect is that the a
