The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation may seem like an average gambling licensing authority, but that is far from the truth. Check the element below and see how PAGCOR affects the lives of gamblers and Filipino citizens.
What is PAGCOR?
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation was established with the Presidential Decree 1869 (PD1067-A), also known as PAGCOR Charter. In Filipino, it is called Korporasyon sa Libangan at Palaro ng Pilipinas, but for convenience, in this blog article, we will use the abbreviation PAGCOR.
Founded in 1977, this government-owned and controlled corporation is Philippine’s main licensing body for gambling operators. Since its establishment, the corporation evolved, and in June 2007, the Republic Act 9487 granted PAGCOR permission to issue licenses and regulate gambling-related matters for another 25 years. Here is what else you will learn from us:
Explore the article, and you will find answers to all those questions and more useful information about gambling in the Philippines and the rules and regulations of PAGCOR. You are traveling to the country, but have not time to visit the land-based gambling locations, you can still try Filipino online casinos.
Who Works at PAGCOR?
The highest institution controlling the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation is the Office of the President of the Philippines. Below him is the PAGCOR chairman and the five-member PAGCOR board of directors. They are supported by over sixty other executives, heads of departments, and employees.
You can find the full list of the employees and their duties on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation website. Check the website for every kind of information and matter you wish to learn about the commission’s work.
Since you will already be on the commission’s site, you can also explore the full list of procedures and documentation necessary for getting one or all possible gambling licenses.
What Does PAGCOR Do – Main Duties
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s mission is to take the necessary steps for the growth of entertainment and especially the legal Philippine gambling industry. The results of the efforts are the best online casinos in the Philippines for 2023 and all land-based gambling establishments.
What are PAGCOR’s Main Gambling Tasks?
We already mentioned the licensing of gambling operators, but that is not the only task of the corporation. Check the list below, and you will see activities under this government body’s authority:
- 🔹 Issues PAGCOR gaming licenses
- 🔹 Monitors gambling-related matters
- 🔹 Checks the integrity and legality of the gambling operators
- 🔹 Issues gaming employment licenses
- 🔹 Monitors the legal gambling age of 21+ years old
- 🔹 Encourages responsible gambling
- 🔹 Funds government and private charity and social projects
All this may seem like a lot of work, but the skilful team knows how to handle business. Their tireless efforts lead to the inclusion of the top real money online casinos in the Philippines. Locals who prefer authentic live dealer experience can enter the brick-and-mortar casinos.
What Types of Licenses Are There?
Before even thinking of opening a gaming room in the Philippines, the operator must acquire a mandatory PAGCOR license. There are differences between the PAGCOR license for online gaming and land-based establishments. There are also differences between local and offshore operators, but overall, all casinos must have one of those licenses:
- ♠️ Land-Based Gambling Licenses: Gaming Licensing and Development Department (GLDD), Table Games Department (TGD), Slot Machine Department (SMD), Sabong License
- 📱 Online Gambling Licenses: E-Games/E-Bingo Licensing Department (EG/EBLD), E-Sabong Department (ESD)
- 🎰 Offshore Gambling Sites Licenses: Offshore Gaming Licensing Department (OGLD)
The licensing procedure is simple and allows operators to download the necessary documents from the corporation’s website. Once you gain the permission to offer your services to Filipino players, you will see that your establishment enters the PAGCOR list of online casino titles. After this point, all operators must do is keep players in a safe environment.
Which Games are Legal in the Philippine Casinos?
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) allows all forms of casino games in land-based casinos. Enter one of the nine Casino Filipino (PAGCOR owned and licensed) branches or the 35+ satellite casinos and VIP slot clubs for top-rated entertainment. PAGCOR online betting is even more accessible on the licensed gambling sites:
All games at the land-based and online casinos are available to all gamblers over the legal gambling age. Alternatively, some of the best mobile casinos in the Philippines allow freedom and choice to all Filipino players.
How PAGCOR Deals with Illegal Activities?
According to Filipino laws, all illegal gaming activities are punishable, so it is best to always play at licensed and regulated locations. Once an operator acquires a PAGCOR gaming license also takes responsibility and obligation to stick to the legal gambling practices.
Is PAGCOR in Service of the Philippine Society?
One of the most appreciated Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) activities is giving back to society. The commission had earned respect among the Filipinos and the operators because of its multiple charity and social projects:
- 🏡 Housing: PAGCOR Village, contribute to nation building CSR
- 🏝️ Preserving Nature: Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig
- 🌊 Disasters: Multi-purpose evacuation centre, Disaster relief operations
- 🥥 Food: PAGCOR Feeding Program
- 🩺 Medicine: Medical assistance and kits
- 🧮 Education: School Kits for Kids, Handog Computer Program, Pinoy Bayanihan, Brigada Eskwela
- 🏄 Sports: Support for Filipino athletes, Grassroot Football
- 🎁 Happy Holidays: Pamaskong Handog ng PAGCOR
As it is clear, there is no aspect of life where the government-owned gambling organization is not involved. The records prove that daily thousands of people benefit from the projects, and the corporation has no intention to slow down its involvement with the public benefits. You can find a full list of the charity functions and projects on the PAGCOR website.
What is PAGCOR’s Future?
The main goal before the organization is to increase and improve the PAGCOR license for online gaming activities so there would be even more legit online casinos for Filipino players. As for the rest of the licensed PAGCOR casinos, the plan is by 2028, the generated income of the gambling industry to be over 12.5 billion US dollars.
Improving the gaming and entertainment environment at the brick-and-mortar gambling locations and monitoring the PAGCOR e-games online is a serious endeavour requiring a lot of workforces . That is why the organization will have even more PAGCOR careers available. As for the charity projects, volunteers and helpers are always welcome.
FAQ
With a topic as vast as this one, there’s no way to cover everyhting readers have to ask. There are several commonly asked questions about the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation we want to address as an outro to the page. Check the information below and follow the links for more details.