Online Casinos in the Philippines

Are Online Casinos Legal in the Philippines?

The laws regarding online casinos in the Philippines are a little bit complicated. In 1975, the very first law that officially regulates gambling was passed. It forced all casinos and operators to follow the guidelines set under PAGCOR, the primary gaming and gambling regulator here. Afterward, most of the laws simply clarified or established the penalties for breaching these. The next big change game very recently – in 2017, the laws were updated to ensure that Filipino players could not play at locally registered online casinos except in special cases.

So, is it legal to play at online casinos in Philippines? Yes – as long as you are playing at overseas sites! Filipino players can only play at licensed and regulated legal online casinos that are offshore. The local online casinos can only serve foreign players. The minimum age for gambling is 21 in most of the country. For residents of the Cagayan Valley in particular, it is 18 due to the area being a special economic zone designed to improve tourism.

Official Regulatory Bodies: PAGCOR and CEZA

There are multiple regulatory bodies that handle online gambling and casino betting in the Philippines. The primary one is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, PAGCOR. It is the gambling regulatory arm of the government. Everything related to gambling in the country passes through it. PAGCOR actually owns nearly 50 casinos all around the country, through which the government earns significant revenue. Most of the legit online casino Philippines falls under this.

However, there are several other groups, each with a more specific purpose. The First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corporation, FCRLC, is the local gambling authority under CEZA, inside the Cagayan Special Economic Zone. They regulate everything within this region, rather than PAGCOR. Above we’ve prepared Filipino gambling regulators’ official contact channels.

The Philippine Racing Commission, PHILRACOM, is focused on managing and regulating horse racing exclusively. Similarly, the Games and Amusements Board, GAB, manages sports betting and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office regulates the national lottery. Ultimately, all of them answer to PAGCOR in some way.

To prevent gambling addiction, the majority of real money online gambling apps and sites have teamed up with international organizations like GamCare or BeGambleAware. Thanks to these organizations, all casinos now offer tools to counteract problem gambling by limiting spending or informing of their expenditure regularly. So all gambling operators should be aware players gamble responsibly, and, in case of addiction – contact specialized centers.

Playing Top Online Gambling Sites in the Philippines

If someone wants to start playing casino games or get into the gambling scene, then they should get the best first impression possible. We don’t want anyone to accidentally start playing at a scam site, get their personal credentials leaked or bank account hacked, then decide to swear off online gambling PH forever!

Below you will find the list of reputable and trustworthy operators with best online casino sites Philippines by category:

That’s why we have selected the top Filipino casino sites here. These sites are all legit and reviewed by us, so we can assure you they are genuine.

They should have a great selection of the best casino games in the Philippines so our readers are bound to enjoy the list of casino in Philippines sites, plus generous casino bonuses in Philippines from promotional offers. However, there are some disadvantages to playing there compared to online.

So why go online?

1. You can play online at any time or any place.
2. You don’t have to travel all the way to a specific place to play. It is a lot cheaper to not pay for fare/fuel.
3. You can even play from mobile if you have the online casino app installed.
4. There is no need to follow a stuffy dress code.

In addition to these, an online Filipino gambling site has other advantages too:

• Variety of Games. It will have a much bigger variety of games. A typical land-based casino might have space for 50-100 slot machines. The online Filipino casino site doesn’t have any space limitations and could easily have 1,000 or 2,000 games.
• More Bonuses and Rewards. Online sites have lots of promotional offers compared to physical ones.
• Local Currency is Accepted. Can pay with Pesos rather than expensive foreign currencies

Types of Online Gambling in the Philippines

There are myriad types of gambling games online. If we tried to list every single one of the PH online casino games you could play at, we’d be naming tens of thousands of titles! So, instead, here’s an overview of what players can expect from Philippine online casino sites.

Bonuses Available for Philippines Players

It’s not just the game Philippines players have to look forward to at online casinos. Everyone can earn some great bonus rewards. The bonuses can go up to thousands of pesos for simply signing up and making a deposit! There are generally several different types of bonuses.

• Welcome Bonus. No matter the casino or sportsbooks, it’s guaranteed to have a welcome bonus. The welcome bonus is typically the biggest bonus – best for giving players a head start while also ensuring that they stick around in the long run once they’re invested!
• Free Spins. Everyone loves to get free goodies, right? That’s exactly what free spins are! You are given the chance to make a number of spins on a slot machine without spending any of your own money. It’s a great way to rack up some extra wins. That said, most of the time the particular game and bet level are fixed, so you need some luck to win big!
• Cashbacks. Feeling depressed after a spate of bad luck? Then try targeting a cashback bonus. They will give you back a portion, usually 10-20%, of all recent losses. If you’re really lucky, from this money, you could even cover up the rest of the losses and make a profit instead.

Choosing Reliable PH Online Casino

Reliability is a fairly important factor. For starters, how do you know that the casinos we’re playing at are safe and reliable? How do we know they won’t just scam you, the player?

Well, for starters, we don’t even pay attention to unlicensed brands. The vast majority of unlicensed sites are very shady, or so poorly designed and developed that they failed to pass the certification audit. When it comes to the best online casino Philippines, there are several straightforward ways to tell a legit site from one that isn’t. The easiest one is, of course, the license. Every online casino should be licensed by at least one governing body. Since it is illegal for PH players to play at PAGCOR online casinos, we focus on regulators like Malta, Curacao, or the UK instead.

Another way is to look for certifications. Third-party organizations like eCOGRA or TST Global are known as fairness auditors. They will check a game for fairness, and certify it only if it is found to be unbiased.

The final method of checking is very simple. We look for customer reviews to find out all the bad and good experiences with the brand. CasinoHEX Philippines examines every single site at very close look.

Pros and Cons of Online Casinos Philippines

If you are conflicted about whether to play a physical establishment or an online Filipino casino site, don’t worry. Here’s a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages of playing online, specifically for a Philippines online casino. After checking these, you can decide which way to go.

How Do We Review PH Gambling Sites?

When reviewing, we have a laundry list of criteria to go through. Each criterion may not seem extremely important on its own, but when put together they could make or break a casino! Here are all these factors, with a quick explanation of each one.

• Licensing. We have already explained the importance of having a license at any casino online. Some licenses are actually more trusted and reliable than others, due to how strictly they maintain their standards. The best license for an offshore casino to have is probably an MGA or a UKGC license.
• Bonuses And Promotions. Each online casino has numerous bonuses, as we already explained. A highly rated online gambling site will have a lot of bonuses that are both generous and don’t have obnoxious terms and conditions.
• Casino Games Collection. Considering folks come to the casino to play games, this is obviously an important thing to maintain. The games should be from a highly reputable software developer and be good-looking, easy to understand and play, and exciting all at the same time.
• Mobile Friendliness. Filipinos actually prefer mobile phones over laptop or desktop computers. For the average person in the country, mobiles are quite cheap and affordable while proper PCs are too expensive.
• Customer Support. Run into a problem? Customer support will solve it for you, whether it’s a technical issue with running the online casino games Philippines or an account-related issue with logging in. It’s best to have CS available in several different languages and around the clock 24/7.
• Payment Methods Available. Not all customers will pay in the same way. Some players might not have a credit card, while others might prefer online casino using Gcash, or the privacy of using cryptocurrencies or a prepaid card. Hence, we always highlight Philippine online casino sites that have a wide range of payment options.
• VIP Rewards. After playing for a long time or spending a lot of money at one casino, you may be eligible for VIP rewards. Becoming a VIP basically shows your dedication to the brand. Normally, it should have a lot of rewards, but sometimes there’s no VIP program or loyalty rewards. In the case of the latter, what’s the point of focusing on one site so much?
• Security. Security is a really important factor in the Philippines’ best online gambling. Remember, you will be entering your credit card, bank statement, phone number, address, and other important personal data. It’s best to make sure the data can’t be intercepted en-route by a hacker. Therefore, most of our recommended sites use modern 128-bit or 256-bit SSL encryption to maintain security.

Online Casino Games Popular Among Filipino Gamblers

Earlier, we mentioned that various casino games can be played at PH casinos. Each one has a unique playstyle and is suitable for different players. The games are provided by software developers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and Playtech.

• Microgaming claims to be the oldest of them, dating back to 1994. They have nearly 1,000 unique titles, including the biggest jackpot slot in the world — Mega Moolah.
• NetEnt is another veteran in the industry. They launched in 1996 and now appear at so many casinos around the world. Their focus is on fun and thematic slot games. You may know them as the developers of incredibly popular titles like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest.
• Playtech has been around since 1999. They offer over 700 games, mainly slots. They have a lot of studios

Payment Methods You Can Use in the Philippines

Multiple payment methods are available at every PH betting site.

Land-Based Casinos in the Philippines

As mentioned, online gambling sites Philippines players can only play at offshore sites online. However, there are plenty of land-based establishments in the country as well. If you live in Manila, you should have no trouble finding places to gamble, especially by the boardwalk. It is one of the biggest cities in Asia and a hotpot of every kind of entertainment possible. However, when it comes to other regions, then you may not have a local place readily at hand.

The exception to this is the Cagayan Special Economic Zone, which is designed to attract tourists and follows slightly different rules regarding gambling locations than other parts of the country.

The top land-based Filipino casinos are:

Conclusion

The Philippines is a great place to be if you love gambling or playing at online casinos. Whether you enjoy live casino games, slots, or sports betting, there is definitely a site for you. We’ve collated and reviewed a huge number of sites frequented by PH players. If you want to find the best casinos in Philippines for you, then you’ve come to the right place. Check out our recommendations for the top online Filipino casino site before you decide to sign up and start playing!

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