Alejandro Tengco, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), says the gaming industry and stakeholders must join to combat problem gambling and addiction.

Tengco spoke Monday at the second annual International Conference on Responsible Gambling and Addiction. Calling for “a whole-of-society approach”, he urged “regulators, policymakers, industry operators, healthcare professionals and academicians” to join the fight.

“We must not only share knowledge but act as partners in understanding, preventing and reducing the threats posed by problem gambling,” he said.

Tengco called attention to Pagcor’s Responsible Gaming Programme, which enables self-exclusion from casinos and casino games as well as family-initiated player exclusion. He advocated for strict regulation of gaming advertisements and partnerships with rehabilitation centres for problem gamblers and their families.

“Gaming has inherent social risks” Tengco said. “But with the right safeguards and collaboration among all sectors, we can ensure the safety and well-being of our players.” 

The theme of Monday’s conference was “Empowering Pathways: Problem Gambling and Gaming Prevention, Treatment and Recovery”.

In his comments, Tengco said the industry is addressing the problem at its root, first by barring minors, students and government employees from land-based casinos.

Virtual threat as e-games explode

But the greater risk may be online. In the first quarter of 2025, revenue from electronic games surpassed that of brick-and-mortar casinos for the first time in the Philippines.

E-games and e-bingo accounted for about half of the PHP104.1 billion ($1.9 billion) in gross gaming revenue generated during the period. That was an increase of 27.4% from the first quarter of 2024, Pagcor reported on 7 May.

Last year also set precedents. For full-year 2024, GGR totalled PHP410 billion, a new annual record for the Philippines. At the time, the Pagcor chief attributed the spike to the popularity of e-games. Online casino games and internet bingo generated GGR of PHP154.51 billion for the year. That number is up 165% year-on-year – yet another record for the industry.