The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Cagayan Special Economic Zone are the two particular authorities within the Islands that oversee casino gaming in the Philippines.
The licensing and regulation of the many physical and mortar casinos present around the country is handled by these two gaming districts. PAGCOR licenses and oversees internet gaming companies in addition to land-based casinos.
The internet gambling companies operating out of this zone are not allowed to provide their services to Filipino gamblers, despite having licenses from a Filipino district. They may provide their betting and gaming services to players outside of the Philippine Islands as long as they do it lawfully.
Are there legal online casinos in the Philippines?
While it is allowed to run an internet casino in the Philippines, it is against the law to provide casino gaming services to Filipino customers while doing so from a location inside the country. However, through authorized and supervised offshore casino websites, Filipino gamers may still enjoy sanctioned online casino gambling.
If there was any question about this, a 2012 court case resulted in a decision that established the fact that players are not prohibited from participating in online wagering under Philippine gambling regulations. This implies that gamers from the Philippines can legitimately partake in online casino gaming at websites that are authorized, governed, and situated outside of the country.
Additionally, as long as mobile betting sites are run by authorized and regulated offshore casino operators, it is totally lawful for players to access and wager at them. In our guide to legal casino gambling in the Philippines by region, you can find out more about the regulations in various places.
How Gambling Laws Work
Presidential Decree No.1067-a (1975)
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) was established by PD No. 1067-A, which also establishes the country’s legal gaming regulations. The Decree also outlines PAGCOR’s authority, duties, and methods of funding, as well as its methods of income collection and expenditure. signed into law by Ferdinand Marcos, who was president at the time, in 1975.
Presidential Decree No. 1602 (1978)
PD 1602 increases the severity of the penalties for illicit gaming. Basketball, boxing, slots, poker, soccer, football, volleyball, horse racing, pinball, and just about every other activity you can think of are all included in Section 1 as activities that are often linked with legal gambling in the Philippines. According to the law, gambling on certain games without the appropriate license carries a jail sentence and a fine of up to 6,000 pesos (PHP). 20% of the informant payment is provided under Section 2.
Presidential Decree No. 1869 (1983)
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR(PD )’s 1869) charter outlines how the gaming business should be regulated. It lays forth the legislative framework for businesses to get licenses and provides standards for PAGCOR to adhere to in order to legalize, license, and regulate all games of chance in the Philippines.
Republic Act 7922 (1994)
The Cagayan Economic Zone, which includes the city of Freeport and nearby islands, was created by Republic Act 7922. It is located in the Cagayan Valley. The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority is established under section 5 of the legislation, whereas section 4 of the statute outlines governmental principles (CEZA). Legal information on CEZA pay, oversight, auditing, and legal assistance is provided in the other portions of the act.
Republic Act 9287 (2004)
On April 2, 2004, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress passed the Republic Act 9287 into law. The Act strengthens the laws against unlawful number games and their application.
Executive Order No. 13 (2017)
Any gaming activity that is not permitted by an operator’s licensing body is explicitly defined as illegal gambling under Executive Order No. 13’s second section (2). Issued in an effort to promote state-run lottery services while battling unauthorized number gaming operators. The policy of excluding Filipino players from entering online casinos and sportsbooks that are regulated in the Philippines is reiterated in Section 3. Filipino internet casinos attract foreign players, although local players can still access offshore sportsbooks and casinos that are authorized by law.
Republic Act 10927 (2017)
Republic Act 10927, which was put into effect by the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on November 4, 2017, imposes unique rules on all casinos with physical locations in the Philippines. The law mandates that casino owners employ risk management procedures and maintain player records for a minimum of five years.
When the AMLC detects a case of money laundering or terrorism financing, casino owners are now required to permit compliance checks. Players are also impacted by this new law. Before creating an account, players are now obliged to provide additional information about themselves, and aliases are no longer permitted.
Additionally, the AMLC will now be informed if a wager or transaction totals $100,000 USD or more. Failure to comply with this new law may result in severe fines and/or penalties and may cause operating licenses to be revoked.
House Bill 8910
If passed into law, the proposed measure HB-8910 will outlaw e-sabong countrywide. It aims to tighten the Games and Amusement Board’s control of all professional sports and especially targets online cockfight betting.
Where Can I Find Filipino Player Accepting Legally Licensed Online Casinos in 2022?
You might quickly obtain a list of online casinos that accept players from the Philippines by performing a quick Google search. Please allow us to advise you against taking this step. An online casino is not automatically legitimate or of high caliber or run in accordance with industry standards and regulatory regulations just because it allows players from the Philippines.
This resource guide’s main goal was to help players locate the best Filipino online casinos that operate lawfully in the market while also guiding them away from dubious, predatory, or subpar websites.
The recommended online casinos that accept players from the Philippines are included in this guide. Following a thorough examination of online casinos that welcome players from the Philippines, the list was put up. We thoroughly assessed their reputation within the industry, their legal standing within the sector, the presence and validity of their compliance certificates, the caliber of their software solutions, services, and security profile. OKBET offers various promotions that you will be enjoy while playing/betting also it legitimate license under PAGCOR.
We examine literally hundreds of aspects of each brand, removing undesired elements and highlighting the best places to go. OKBET is one of the list accredited online casinos that let players from the Philippines sign up.
Why Am I Not Allowed To Play At Philippine Online Casinos?
Operating an online casino inside the boundaries of the Philippines is subject to very severe gambling legislation. The legislation plainly states that it is forbidden for locally regulated internet gambling companies to provide their services to Filipino nationals, even if same firms are free to provide casino gambling to players anywhere outside of the Philippines.
Fortunately, the law does not concurrently make placing bets online illegal for Filipino gamblers, thus they are allowed to play legally at offshore gambling sites. The Philippines’ gambling business is now booming, so it is possible that the regulations might change to increase the number of online gambling options available on the island nation. However, no steps have been taken in this area as of yet.
In the Philippines, what is the legal gambling age?
Gamblers in the Philippines must be at least 21 years old to participate in casino gaming, according to Philippine gambling legislation. The Filipino government takes this regulation seriously in an effort to reduce the hazards of underage gaming.
Violators will face legal ramifications. While Philippine law permits offshore internet gambling, the legal minimum gambling age still applies to this sort of gaming amusement. That is, even if an online casino or poker site enables players to register at the age of eighteen, Filipino gamers must still wait until the age of twenty-one to put bets on these sites. These limits imposed by the country’s laws take precedence over the policies of gaming websites.
Is There Any Other Legal Online Gambling Available For Residents Of The Philippines?
There is, indeed. Legal Philippines online poker sites and legal Philippines online sports betting sites are among the legally sanctioned offshore gaming sites available to Filipino gamers. The same restrictions apply to offshore poker sites and sportsbooks, thus as long as the gambling sites are not operated within the Philippines, real money gaming at these locations is not unlawful.
There is, indeed. Legal Philippines online poker sites and legal Philippines online sports betting sites are among the legally sanctioned offshore gaming sites available to Filipino gamers. The same restrictions apply to offshore poker sites and sportsbooks, thus as long as the gambling sites are not operated within the Philippines, real money gaming at these locations is not unlawful.
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