Online Game Revenue in the Philippines Falls Sharply in 2026
Electronic game revenue in the Philippines fell 37.23% in the first nine months of 2026. Changes in payment access and weakening consumer spending were behind the decline.
In 2025, online games became the largest source of gambling revenue in the Philippines and, for the first time, overtook licensed casinos. According to PAGCOR's 2025 data, e-games and online platforms accounted for 50.77% of total gross gaming revenue.
In August 2025, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas instructed the payment providers it supervises to remove in-app links that directed users to gaming sites. GCash and Maya removed these links starting August 16. Given that e-wallets are widely used for everyday payments, this change had a significant impact. PAGCOR chairman Alejandro Tengco acknowledged that the change contributed to the decline in online gaming revenue in the third quarter. The regulation did not completely eliminate game payments, but it closed a direct route from e-wallet apps to gaming sites.
According to data released by PAGCOR, electronic game revenue fell 37.23% in the first nine months of 2026, dropping from 44.03 billion pesos to 27.63 billion pesos. Over the same period, licensed casino revenue declined 3.22%. PAGCOR's total revenue for the January to September period fell 23.41% to 64.41 billion pesos.
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