According to the Philippine News Agency, the total income of Philippine operators to the lottery in the third quarter of 2025 (July-September) was 94.51 billion pesos (approximately $1,598 million), down slightly from 94.61 billion pesos (approximately $1,599 million) during the same period in 2024. In July this year, the Central Bank of the Philippines forced the untying of online lottery platforms with electronic wallets, which led to a structural change in the video game industry: In the third quarter, the reverse of the video game plate rose by 17 per cent, with revenues of 41.95 billion pesos (approximately US$ 709 million) and a profit of 35,711 million pesos (approximately US$ 604 million) in the third quarter of 2024, but this increase was due mainly to a surge in transactions before the policy tightening in July.
Philippine entity casinos are under pressure from policy tightening, with a sharp drop in income of between 10.2 and 45.56 billion pesos (approximately $7.7 billion) over the three quarters. Among them, PAGCOR ‘ s income from casinos fell by between 11.6 per cent and 32.2 billion pesos (approximately $54.5 million) and traditional bingo revenues by between 16.2 per cent and 3.79 billion pesos (approximately $64 million). The income structure of video games in the Philippines is expected to be reshaped if policies continue to tighten: carded casinos contribute 48.2 per cent of total revenues, and video game boards (including electronic bingos, electronic casinos, sports betting and online poker) account for 44.4 per cent. In the first half of 2025, the Philippine Entertainment Lottery Company (PAGCOR) received a total income of 2,1.475 billion pesos (approximately $3.63 billion), a 26 per cent increase over the same period. Despite a decline of nearly 6 per cent in real casinos, income from video games rose by 82.67 per cent, triggering a strong social rebound.
It is worth noting that anti-gambling activists, religious groups and some members of Parliament have contributed to the growth of addictive behaviour, especially among young people and poor groups. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri put it bluntly: “Tax revenues are far from offsetting the social costs” and promoted the Anti-Online Gambling Act (SB 142), which calls for a complete ban on online gambling platforms and for electronic wallets and payment agencies to deal with related transactions. The President of the Senate ‘ s Lottery and Recreation Committee, Erwin Turford, warned: “As long as online gambling exists, we are nurturing a generation of gamblers, debtors and broken families. There is no tax to pay for this human cost.” In the face of pressure, PAGCOR President Alejandro Tenko advocated strict regulation rather than a blanket ban: “Growth must be accompanied by responsibility. As regulators, we must promote both the development of the industry and, above all, adhere to the standards of the head of the lottery.”
In August this year, the Central Bank of the Philippines urgently ordered the electronic purses of GCash, Maya and others to immediately cut the link to the web site of the in-house gambling. Alejandro Tenco, who said this led to a short contraction of video games at the end of the quarter: “These protection measures are essential to protect players and ensure transparency in transactions. The current data reflect that the industry is in the appropriate regulatory stage.”
Erwin Turfu affirmed the e-barrel business’s compliance, while warning: “Some operators may turn to platforms such as Viber, Telegram and even Lazara to circumvent regulation.” Alejandro Tenko warned people to stay away from illegal platforms: “They do not comply with the standards of responsible gambling, do not pay taxes, and expose players to the risks of data theft and fraud”. The data reflect the Philippine Lottery Crossroad: technology-driven, explosive growth, and the search for a living boundary in social ethics and the chainsaws that regulate the iron wrists. When 44.4 per cent of the industry’s income is based on a forced cut-off electronic link, the cost of the so-called “balance” is being remeasured by numerous family accounts and legislative debates.
