Philippines Online Casinos

Best Philippines Online Casinos for 2022

The Republic of the Philippines, a country that lies in the South East Asia region spans a vast swath of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a beautiful place that plays host to over 7,600 distinct islands.

Over 100 million Filipinos live in the country's three main regions, with millions more in the United States and other countries around the world.

The Philippines is well-known for its vibrant gambling culture, which dates way back to the 1970s. This is when regulated casinos first opened in the region.

The majority of gaming is controlled by a state-owned company, which also allows for some restricted online gambling. However, Filipinos must visit foreign sites if they wish to enjoy a full casino experience.

Are you interested in joining a world-class online casino in the Philippines? If that is the case, then read on to find out all that you need to begin playing at an online casino in the Philippines.

Some online casinos that accept Filipinos include:

MELBET CASINO

This is a casino quite generous with bonuses, and new players get up to €1750, plus 290 Free Spins.

Games are provided by top developers like 1x2 Gaming, Ainsworth, Amatic, Aristocrat, Ash Gaming, Bally, Betsoft, BF Games, BGaming, Big Time Gaming, Blueprint, Booming Games, Booongo, EGT, ELK, Endorphina, Evoplay, Foxium, GameArt, Gamomat, Genesis Gaming, Habanero, IGT, Iron Dog, iSoftBet, Kalamba, Lightning Box, Merkur, Microgaming, MrSlotty, NetEnt, Nextgen Gaming, Nolimit City, Novomatic, PariPlay, Play n GO, Playson, Playtech, Pragmatic Play, Push Gaming, Quickspin, Rabcat, Real Time Gaming, Red Rake, Red Tiger, ReelPlay, Relax Gaming, Rival  Stakelogic, Thunderkick, Tom Horn, Wazdan, WMS, Yggdrasil, and WGS.

CASINO ROOM

A match up welcome bonus of 100% capped at €1,000 is available at casino room, in addition to 100 Free Spins.

Games here are from Aristocrat, Betsoft, ELK, Microgaming, NetEnt, Nextgen Gaming, Play n GO, Red Tiger, Thunderkick, and Yggdrasil.

ZET CASINO

Welcome bonuses on ZET casino receive a 100% match up caped at 500 Euro + 200 Free Spins.

For the games, the casino has partnered with big names like Ainsworth, Amatic, Betsoft, BF Games, BGaming, Booming Games, EGT, ELK, Endorphina, GameArt, Habanero, iSoftBet, Microgaming, NetEnt, Nextgen Gaming, Nolimit City, PariPlay, Play n GO, Pragmatic Play, Push Gaming, Quickspin, Red Rake, Red Tiger, Relax Gaming, Thunderkick, Tom Horn, Wazdan, and Yggdrasil.

A Summary of Online Gambling in the Philippines

The Philippines declared internet gambling a legal activity within its borders; however, this is only part of the story.

Just as is the case with the country's land-based gambling, iGaming is a regulated industry, and there are two bodies mandated with this work.

Each of them uses different strategies and policies, and none of these seems satisfactory to real money gamblers in the Philippines. They are:

PAGCOR, a firm that operates a small online gambling service. Though its services are not accessible from home, the country has hundreds of "other easily accessible e-Games stations, with the Manila region hosting more than 100.

Locals will visit these cafes to enjoy a game or two companies like Realtime Gaming.

Meanwhile, the FCLRC provides fully operational, reputable, and locally licensed online casinos. However, there is a catch, and the casinos are not supposed to allow Asian players.

Then there is the POGOS, which stands for Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators, this is how legal online gambling choice in the region (POGOs).

Currently, the Philippines holds more than 60 POGOs operating within its territory. These are also licensed by PAGCOR. However, they also don't allow locals, and will only accept international gamblers.

All of this means that international websites are the only choice for real money gamblers in the Philippines, and especially those who want to game online. That isn't a concern, though, since several world-renown casinos have set base here.

It certainly helps that in 2012, a court ruling maintained gambling is legal in the Philippines. This made the whole process of gambling for real money much easier.

Some big brands continue to avoid this jurisdiction, and not all gamblers are greeted with open arms, particularly in the absence of proper regulation.

However, there are plenty of operators willing to sell games in this grey market, so gamers here should be able to find just what they want.

Philippines Casino Software Developers

Classic table games are quite popular in the Philippines, and more so in land-based casinos. This trend has migrated to online platforms, especially with the popularity of live dealer games.

Slots are not to be left behind, and they are relatively common in online casinos that serve this nation.  Most successful game developers in the Philippines combine both slots and table games.

The best service providers in this industry that serve the country include:

Evolution Gaming

Evolution, the undisputed leader in the live dealer gambling section. This provider has soared in popularity in the recent past thanks to their ground-breaking live casino titles.

No one makes live dealer games better than Evolution, from classic blackjack to exclusive modern titles, the developer has it all.

NetEnt

NetEnt has an excellent live dealer collection, but their collection of these types of games is quite small.  This developer has prioritised slots and their portfolio is quite impressive. Their games range from classics like Starburst to more modern titles.

Playtech

Playtech comes second when it comes to live dealer games. However, Playtech has massive potential when it comes to slots, and they are at the same level as NetEnt. One of the most populous slot titles is the Age of the Gods progressive jackpot.

Microgaming

Microgaming has a few table games but hasn't made any significant inroads into the live dealer sector. When it comes to the more common games like slots, only a developer like NetEnt can compete with them.

Microgaming's rich slot library, which includes classics games like the famous Immortal Romance, ensures that the company maintains its stature as a top slot developer.

Payment Options at Online Casinos in the Philippines

The industry offers varying options when it comes to payments, and among the common methods accepted by Philippines online casinos include:

Credit/debit card

Although some players are hesitant to share their private banking details with online establishments, debit and credit card payments remain the most popular.

Prepaid Cards and Popular E-Wallets

Not all players are ready to share their personal banking details and this is where Pre-paid cards like Pay-safe card come in. These payment methods are quickly growing in popularity, and a few of the renowned ones include Neteller and Skrill.

In addition to offering a quick payment solution, these options are also quick and provide a high level of privacy.

Cryptocurrencies

The only thing preventing Bitcoin and other crypto options from gaining massive popularity in the Philippines online casino industry is a scarcity of sites that accept them.

However, as times passes by, a lot will have changed in this country and many casinos will start accepting them.

Land-Based Gambling Options in the Philippines

Gambling has been around in the country for the longest time, but it wasn't always as well-regulated as it is now. Illegal betting and gambling operations were extremely common in the country until the mid-1970s.

Both the traditional games and the more familiar modern options were available – but players and to dig more to find them.

Although games like jai alai, bingo and pari-mutuel were legal, the fact remained that a vast majority of gambling was taking place illegally across the country.

The establishment of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), was seen as a threat to the whole industry. PAGCOR, which is fully owned, and run by the Philippines government, has risen to become this country's largest source of revenue away from taxes.

The company, however, began modestly, opening its first casino (Manila Bay Casino), in 1977. This is after the body was founded through a Presidential Decree. Unfortunately, in 1979, a fire severely destroyed the MS Philippine Tourist, the luxury liner that hosted it.

As a result, PAGCOR was forced to consider land-based gaming as an option – and what a great option, and alternative it turned out to be.

Today, the Philippines has hundreds of licenced casinos, and many of them are located in the Manila metro area. These range from some very small card rooms, to massive hotels that have acquired permission to offer slots or other games on their properties.

PAGCOR's most recent expansion campaign has seen the company create integrated resorts in an effort to compete with some of the world's largest gaming hubs. Resorts World Manila, the first of its kind in this location, opened in Newport City in 2009.

However, the real effort must have gone to Entertainment City, where the government announced plans to construct a series of major resorts to rival those in Las Vegas, Macau, and other major gambling tourist destinations.

With the opening of the Solaire Manila in 2013, this project became fully operational. It was to be the first of four such resorts to open in the area; the City of Dreams Manila, which opened in early 2015, was the second.

Each of these casinos cost more than $1 billion to construct, and they take pride in providing world-class amenities in addition to their vast gaming floors.

Since the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country (more than 80% of the population is Catholic), it's no surprise that church bingo has taken root there as well, with both small charity games and major casino-sponsored competitions.

Sports betting has a sizable following, especially in pari-mutuel horse racing, cockfights, and jai alai. Betting on international sporting events through licenced sportsbooks is also possible.

The Philippine Lottery Draw, which has been broadcast on television since 1995, is also prominent.

The First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corporation (FCLRC), located in the Cagayan Special Economic Zone, is another noteworthy player in the country's gambling scene.

In order to attract tourists to the region, gaming facilities in this region operate under different laws than the rest of the country and cater exclusively to foreigners.

What the Future of Philippines’ Gambling Looks Like?

The Philippines had obviously big ambitions for its gaming industry. In addition to the existing integrated resorts in Entertainment City, Westside City Resorts World (formerly Resorts World Bayshore) is scheduled to open in 2021.

This will establish a small casino hub in a very small location, which PAGCOR and others hope will draw visitors from China, other Asian countries, and possibly the rest of the world.

There is no question that will actually happen because there are all indications that a lot is being done to develop it, and a lot of money and effort has gone into it to expect no results: each of the new resorts is stunning, with the City of Dreams being an especially appealing resort that will undoubtedly become a top destination for high rollers.

PAGCOR's goal in 2015 was to increase the country's gambling revenues to $10 billion per year by 2020. Many people were sceptical at first, believing that these figures were unrealistic.

Considering that the country only brought in $2.5 billion in 2014, while the entire state of Nevada brought in more than $11 billion in 2015. Macau is in the lead once more with a revenue of about $29 billion.

National gambling revenue, on the other hand, has undoubtedly risen in recent years. PAGCOR announced revenue of P75.8 billion for 2019, an improvement of 11.6 per cent over the previous year's figure of P67.85 billion.

These rising figures suffered a blow in 2020 due to casino closures to limit movements in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

PAGCOR posted a 49.9% drop in profit to P 777.4 million in the first quarter of the year, this was way too below its initial goal. Profits for the second quarter are expected to fall even further, as land-based gaming facilities are yet to resume business.

It would be difficult to foresee the market's future before all casinos and land-based gambling establishments reopen.

PAGCOR has not reached the expectations it set for the first quarter of 2020, and fifteen online gaming operators have exited the market in a span of a year.

For online gaming in the Philippines, it seems that licenced online casinos for Filipinos might have to wait much longer.

POGOs will continue to appeal only to international markets, and there are no signs that any regulated online gambling options will be available for locals. At least not in the foreseeable future. This has been strengthened in the last month by an alert provided by the government.

The government announced requested its people to stay away from online gambling due to the risk associated with it. Citizens who will not abide by this warning were threatened with prosecution.

Conclusion

If you're still searching for a legitimate online casino in the Philippines, we strongly advise you to stick with sites that hold valid licences from reputable gaming regulators located offshore.

Additionally, we suggest reviewing the casino games on the web to ensure they have been rated fair by independent testing organisations such as eCOGRA.

Reading several unbiased casino reviews goes a long way in helping you settle for the most legitimate one.

Online Casino in Philippines FAQs

⭐ Is online gambling prohibited in the Philippines?

Online gambling is legal in some ways in the Philippines for local players. The situation is a bit more complicated for operators.

No online casino operating within the Philippines jurisdiction is permitted to provide gambling services to residents.

The casinos cater solely to international markets. As a result, many Filipinos play at offshore-licensed online casino sites.

⭐ Is it possible to gamble online in the Philippines?

Due to the lack of licencing for online casinos accepting players from the Philippines, it can be difficult to locate a legal gambling site in the region.

Our recommendation for a risk-free online gaming experience is to play only at casinos authorised by reputable gambling authorities in offshore jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and Malta.

⭐ Which online casinos should I trust in the Philippines?

It can be difficult to determine which online casinos in the Philippines are trustworthy, but have no fear; we've got you covered.

We only recommend licenced casinos that have established a track record of confidence and provide superior customer service, cutting-edge security measures, and advanced data encryption technology.

⭐ Is it possible to play online casino games on a mobile device?

The majority of online casino sites operating in the Philippines offer players a mobile alternative.

Mobile casinos have grown in popularity, and the majority of sites offer either an app or a casino site that can be accessed through your device's web browser.

This means that gaming on the go is relatively straightforward in the Philippines, and you should have no difficulty playing casino games on your mobile device.

⭐ What legal gambling options are available in the Philippines?

Gambling on land is legal in the Philippines, and there are numerous brick and mortar casinos to explore throughout the country.

Online gambling options are somewhat restricted, but with many well-known foreign operators offering at least some sort of online casino gaming in the Philippines, there are still plenty of options.