THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has withheld about ₱180 million worth of winnings from individuals found to be underage or otherwise prohibited from gambling.
This was disclosed by PAGCOR chair Alejandro Tengco during a briefing of the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday.
According to Tengco, licensed online gambling platforms strictly follow guidelines on who may be allowed to play: only individuals aged 21 and above, those not on the exclusion list, and non-government employees.
Players are required to submit valid government-issued identification before placing bets, he said.
However, Tengco admitted that some manage to slip through the system.
“Minsan nasisingitan nu’ng fake ID, nakakalusot po ‘yung ilang kabataan but I believe hindi po malaking porsyento ito pero nahuhuli din po dahil may secondary layer po kami at ito’y nais kong ipaabot sa lahat, hindi po namin binabayaran ang makikita at mahuhuli naming underage (less than 21 years old), prohibited person, government employee. Hindi po namin binabayaran ‘yung kanilang winnings kung nakita po namin na hindi sila sumunod sa proseso,” Tengco explained.
From January to June 2025 alone, Tengco said the amount of unpaid winnings due to violations in the registration process has reached ₱180 million.
