The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is expanding its oversight beyond operators to cover the entire Philippine iGaming ecosystem, including B2B providers, technology platforms, payment systems, Gaming System Administrators and Special Class BPOs, as artificial intelligence emerges as a new front for regulatory risk, fraud and compliance.
The shift was outlined on September 14, 2026, by Jessa Mariz R. Fernandez, Assistant Vice President of PAGCOR’s Remote Operations and Ancillary Services Department and Officer-in-Charge of the Electronic Gaming Licensing Department, during the CiG iDEA Summit at the Hilton Manila Ballroom in Newport World Resorts, Pasay City. Fernandez said AI can improve fraud detection, monitoring of unusual activity, compliance and operational efficiency, while also enabling more sophisticated and harder-to-detect fraudulent schemes.
PAGCOR has already tightened its framework throughout 2026. Since May 26, B2B providers have been subject to AML obligations and supervision by the PAGCOR Anti-Money Laundering Supervision and Enforcement Department (PASED), in coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Council, while banks, digital banks, non-bank financial institutions and electronic money issuers remain under the supervision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The regulator also oversees game aggregators, content providers, payment gateways, marketing services, customer service providers, KYC systems and independent testing laboratories. Since May 7, 2026, it has also allowed cash rebates of up to 1.5% of turnover or deposits and cashback of up to 15% of net losses for certain electronic gaming products.
Wilma T. Eisma
The regulatory expansion comes amid a sharp market correction. The Philippines recorded PHP396.14 billion in GGR in 2025, with PHP201.12 billion generated by the electronic and online segment, equivalent to 50.77% of the market. In the first quarter of 2026, total GGR fell 15.87% to PHP87.60 billion, while the electronic segment declined 22.43%.
In the second quarter, the market fell another 20.33% to PHP88.13 billion. PAGCOR’s own revenues dropped 26.64% in the first half of the year to PHP43.32 billion. As of September 2026, PAGCOR is led by Alejandro H. Tengco, Chairman and CEO, and Wilma T. Eisma, President and COO. Its board includes Francis Democrito C. Concordia, Jose Maria C. Ortega and Gilbert Cesar C. Remulla.
