Online gambling lifts Pagcor revenues, drives funding for gov’t services

Insider Spotlight:

• Pagcor’s e-gambling income doubled in just one year
• Online gambling now contributes over half of Pagcor’s revenues
• License fees surged past P50 billion in 2025
• Government health and CSR funds received significant boost
• Industry now supports nearly 29,000 direct jobs

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) is seeing a dramatic revenue transformation, driven by the rapid rise of the online gambling sector. Electronic gaming now accounts for more than half of Pagcor’s gross revenues, helping bankroll key government initiatives including health care and social development programs.

By the numbers:

As of May 2025, Pagcor’s gross gaming revenues from electronic gaming hit P92.7 billion—52.5 percent of its total take. This marks a sharp turnaround from 2022, when e-gaming made up just 10.8 percent of Pagcor’s gross gaming revenues.

• License fees from electronic gaming operators are projected to exceed P50 billion in 2025, nearly ten times higher than the P6.2 billion recorded in 2021 .
• Contributions from the sector to government-mandated initiatives, including the Universal Health Care program and various CSR efforts, now exceed 60 percent of Pagcor’s total contributions.

Alejandro Tengco

The country's top gaming gambling regulator wants firms to unite and police themselves better.

Zoom in:

Pagcor’s data highlights how online gambling has shifted from a minor contributor to a cornerstone of the agency’s income stream. In 2024, electronic gaming accounted for just under half of Pagcor’s total income. By May 2025, that figure rose to nearly 59 percent.

Why it matters:

Pagcor remits a significant portion of its earnings to the National Treasury. The spike in e-gaming revenue has, in turn, widened the government’s fiscal space for public spending, especially in health care and social welfare.

Contributions to the Universal Health Care fund from online gambling reached P4.3 billion as of May, exceeding the P6 billion from all other sources combined on a proportional basis.

Between the lines:

Despite social concerns and the threat of tighter regulation, the sector’s expansion is translating into job creation, increased office demand, and broader economic activity. Floor area leased by electronic gaming licensees rose to 121,100 square meters as of May 2025, up from just 24,800 in 2022. Industry employment now approaches 29,000, up 100 percent over three years.

What’s next:

Pagcor is implementing stricter guidelines to address responsible gaming. This includes mandatory ad screening, partnerships with mental health organizations, and the rollout of a 24/7 helpline. These steps aim to preserve the sector’s growth while responding to mounting public criticism.