PAGCOR withholds over $3.5 million in casino winnings from government officials in 2025

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) has withheld more than PHP200 million (US$3.5 million) in casino winnings from government officials and employees caught gambling during the first seven months of 2025.

The affected parties included elected local government officials, government officers, and other public servants, who are prohibited by law from entering and gambling in the country’s casinos, according to local media reports.

Alejandro Tengco, Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive, confirmed the agency’s strict enforcement of the ban. “Up to July, there is more than PHP200 million that we have voided, or we did not award prizes hit by these restricted persons: elected LGU [local government unit] officials, government employees,” he said in an interview with True FM radio station. “Even if they make an appeal, we will never give them their winnings."

The US$3.5 million figure stems from what Tengco described as a “secondary screening” conducted by the casino industry, a process carried out when a player claims winnings to identify those barred from participating.

Under Memorandum Circular No. 06, government officials and employees in the Philippines are legally banned from entering physical casinos.

The issue comes as lawmakers consider stricter regulations for the country’s online gambling sector. Last month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) instructed electronic wallet (e-wallet) providers and other digital payment systems to remove links granting access to online gambling platforms.

In mid-August, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also prohibited its staff and local government officials from participating in online gambling. 

“Reports have reached this department that many government officials and employees have been engaging in online gambling activities, which is similar to the evil sought to be prevented by Memorandum Circular No. 06, series of 2016,” said the DILG. “Such acts adversely affect the integrity and credibility of government service.”

The department added that online gambling platforms undermine the original intent of Memorandum Circular No. 06, posing a “similar, if not greater, threat to the ethical standards expected of public officials and employees.”