The Philippine gambling landscape has been rapidly expanding with Manila quickly growing as the second largest casino hub in the Southeastern hemisphere following Macau. The Philippines might have been heavily investing in the expansion of its gambling resorts mainly aimed at tourists – yet they have been holding back when it comes to online casino gaming.
The PAGCOR and CEZA are the two main gambling regulators in the Philippines. In a nutshell, land-based casinos and sports betting are legal and regulated by the two bodies highlighted above. Sports betting is regulated locally, and Filipinos can wager online too, 100% legally. On the other hand, PAGCOR is now planning to start offering online casino services through its own website. Aside from this, offshore casino sites licensed by the PAGCOR are also serving Filipino players. Likewise, since 2012, offshore casinos licensed by international gaming authorities have also been offering their services to this market, without any real repercussions.
The most popular casinos in the Philippines are BK8, Plae8, BC.GAME, Mega Casino World, and Filipino Casino. They are licensed by PAGCOR or Curacao and offer a safe gambling experience.
Continue below to learn more about casinos, slots, and online gambling in the Philippines.
Online Casino Shortlist – the best gambling sites in Philippines
Although you won’t be able to bet on cockfighting, street fighting, and other blood sports, many online casinos let you play mahjong, baccarat, slots, pai gow, and other gambling games online. Our list includes licensed and safe online casinos accepting players from the Philippines and rewarding them with a no deposit bonus on sign-up and a hefty welcome package upon first deposit. We didn’t exclusively include PAGCOR online casinos since renowned international gambling sites provide better games and bonuses to Filipino players.
Online Gambling in the Philippines – rules and regulations
Some countries outright ban online casinos, others take a relaxed stance towards gambling sites without actually licensing them, and a few regulate gaming sites locally. The latter is the best scenario for players, enabling them to recognise casino sites they can trust easily. Licensed casino sites feature legit games, responsible gambling tools, and ensure only eligible players access their services.
The Philippines has been slowly establishing a legal framework for online gambling to flourish, similar to their land-based gambling industry. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which was formed in 1976, has been assigned the responsibility of licensing land-based and online casinos, poker sites, and other gaming providers. When evaluating a casino for our readers, we always double-check their site to ensure they have approved them. Nonetheless, offshore online casinos accepting Filipino players are often better, providing more games from international gaming providers. For those unsure about the legality of gambling at such sites, the Filipino Court of Appeals 2012 ruling established that the Presidential Act governing online gambling doesn’t openly ban offshore casino sites.
Having said that, some renowned international online casinos block Filipino players from accessing their services. To help, we’ve listed sites accepting players from the Philippines who offer top bonuses, local payment methods, and an overall safe gambling experience. The following are the best-rated sites by Filipino gamblers:
- JoliBet
- 22Win
- 22Fun
- JiliKO
- PesoBet
- 22Bet
- PGasia
- Peso88
- Dafabet
- Ice Casino
- SuperAce88
- PesoWin
- PanaloKO
- Extra Vegas
- Spin Samurai
- SkyCrown
Casino apps, no deposit bonuses, instant withdrawals, and more perks await at all of the above-recommended brands.
Things to Know About Filipino Online Casinos
Filipino players can join online casinos accepting them from anywhere in the country. Digital casinos ensure a smooth registration process taking one or two steps. The information they request from players includes their full name, email, home address, mobile number, and acceptance of the T&Cs.
Regulated and licensed Filipino gambling sites validate the above through a KYC process. This is a requirement so that they know who they allow to gamble on their sites. For Filipino players it means providing the casino with truthful details they can prove through legal documents.
The majority of online casinos will offer you a no deposit bonus after registration or a deposit bonus and free spins after your first deposit. Such bonuses and deals for existing players are what popularised online casinos in the Philippines in the first place. Make sure to select casino bonuses we’ve approved; our team reads the T&Cs and only recommends offers that are worth their salt.
Online casinos targeting this market accept payment methods that support deposits and withdrawals in ₱. Popular banking options at Filipino online casinos include Dragonpay, PayPal, debit and credit cards, GCash, PayMongo, and PesoPay.
After completing the registration, KYC steps, and funding your account to claim the casino’s welcome bonus – you are ready to pick a game and start playing. Online slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, and live dealer games are staples of Filipino online gambling sites. Players can select from thousands of games and variations of the above categories thanks to online casino partnerships with multiple gaming vendors. Pragmatic Play, Evolution, and Microgaming are some of the best companies sourcing casinos with games.
From there, you should ensure that you never spend more money than you can afford to gamble.
Quick Facts for Filipino Gamblers
Are online casinos legal in the Philippines? | Yes |
Licensing body | PAGCOR |
Popular gaming options | Live casino, slots, sabong, fish games, table games, instant games, bingo, and more |
Payment methods | GrabPay, 7-Eleven, Coins.ph, Crypto, Neteller, GCash, Skrill, Bank Transfer, Help2Pay, ShopeePay, and more |
Gaming vendors | Pragmatic Play, JILI, FA Chai, Push Gaming, Booongo, PlayStar, KA Gaming, Reevo, Kiron, SG, PG Soft, and more |
Best brands | BC.GAME, PesoBets, MCW Casino, Casino Filipino, Plae8, BK8, and more |
Top bonus | 180% First Deposit Match Up To 1,100,000₱ at BC.GAME |
Philippine Online Casinos We Recommend
Our team has listed several online casinos accepting players from the Philippines on this page. You should know that we didn’t shortlist any operator featuring its services in this market. Since 200+ online casinos are live in the Philippines, we spend considerable time comparing their services and only recommend the best possible options. The process we follow is standard and always followed to the T. Criteria we benchmark casinos against include the following.
Good range of local payment systems
Although you can find multiple international online casinos to play games from the Philippines, finding operators catering specifically to this market is paramount. The selection of banking methods and currencies is a good indicator of whether an operator is inclusive to you. Top casinos for Filippino players will accept Philippine pesos and feature banking methods like PesoPay and GCash on top of mainstream options like Neteller and Skrill.
Flexible payment limits, lack of fees, quick processing times, and an easy-to-use interface are other factors taking centre stage when we review this area.
100% safe & legal
Any casino featured on our site is either licensed by an international gambling authority or by the institution responsible for regulating online casinos locally. Filipinos can rely on our recommendations for operators who hold a license and have been therefore subjected to rigorous background checks beforehand.
Playing at unlicensed casinos is dangerous since such operators can take your money and disappear leaving you without any actionable steps to take against them. In contrast, if a licensed casino goes rogue, you can file a report against their registered company and take them to court. Not to mention the hit their reputation would take as a result.
Hefty bonuses with fair T&Cs
First deposit bonuses, sign up offers, free spins, reload bonuses, cashback, VIP rewards, and more deals are often employed by casinos. Each operator is free to pick and choose how it will reward its players. Our team only approves casinos with a welcome package and a minimum of three weekly reload deals. This ensures players get better value for playing there in the long run, not just once.
Of course, we look beyond the bonus size and match rate. Casinos outline the wagering requirements, qualifying games, bonus win caps, and other rules deep in their T&Cs; you can rely on our reviews to understand how each bonus works and what offer is worth claiming.
Excellent customer service, around-the-clock support
A casino without email and live chat support is an instant no from us. Phone support, FAQs, a help centre, and quick response times are other parameters that influence our ratings of casinos’ support departments.
This area might seem secondary but Filipino players should be treated with respect and have quick access to agents that speak the same language and want to help them.
Numerous, quality gaming options
Filipino online casinos used to only partner with a single gaming studio and offer 100 – 200 games on average up until 2010 or so. Nowadays, PH gambling sites must host at least 1,000 games from 10+ studios to be considered by our experts.
The names we want to see featured in their lobbies are Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Playtech, and Play’n GO, among others. Having partnered with such brands means that the casino is reputable and trustworthy. It also ensures that you can play a solid range of slots, table games, instant games like scratch-offs, live casino games, and potentially more gambling options.
Best Online Casino Bonuses for New Filipino Players
The importance of bonuses at online casinos cannot be overstated. I did highlight that our experts review this area, but new players might not realise its significance.
Welcome bonuses and reload deals match your real money deposit up to a certain cap. All top casinos offer 100% match bonuses for rookies and 50 – 75% for returning players. Free spins are often thrown in the mix, letting you play online slots for free and win real money.
Cashback is another promo we actively search for when reviewing Filipino online casinos. Loyal players often enjoy better cashback rates, but this deal is great for everyone – play casino games and if you are down after a week or month, the casino returns a percentage of your losses as real money.
Tournaments, challenges, and other loyalty rewards enhance the gaming experience by adding quests and specific targets to your gameplay. Although these promos are often revolving, we prefer gambling sites implementing them to enhance loyalty.
A bonus we don’t see that often and always highlight is the no deposit bonus. We will be the first to tell you about legit casinos welcoming Filipino players with free cash after registration – check out K9Win, wink-wink.
Physical Casinos in the Philippines
Cebu and Manila are the cities with the most prestigious hotel casinos in the Philippines. Slots, table and card games, VIP rooms, poker tournaments, and more gambling games are featured in each casino. The range of options depends on the casino of your choice, with some offering over 1500 gaming options. Although online casinos offer a more comprehensive range of gambling services, Filipino land-based casinos are a close second.
Although some online casinos accept Filipino players who are over 18, you must be at least 21 years old to enter any of the following casino locations:
Philippine Casinos | Company | Address | Contact |
Casino Filipino (30+ branches) | PGCOR | 1330 Roxas Blvd, Ermita, Manila, 1004 Metro Manila, Philippines | (02) 623 1869, info@pagcor.ph |
Widus Hotel and Casino Clark | The Widus Group | 5400 Manuel A. Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines, Clark Freeport Zone, 2023 Pampanga, Philippines | +63 (045) 499 1000, info@widus.com |
City of Dreams Manila | Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corporation | Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard Entertainment City Manila, Parañaque, 1701 Metro Manila, Philippines | +63 2 8800 8080, guestservices@cod-manila.com |
Midas Hotel and Casino | Sunwest Group | 2702 Roxas Blvd, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines | +63 2 7902 0100, info@midashotelandcasino.com |
Okada Manila Resort and Casino | Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. | New Seaside Dr, Tambo, Parañaque, 1701 Metro Manila, Philippines | +632 8888 0777, relax@okadamanila.com |
Solaire Resort | Bloomberry Resorts Corporation | Tambo Entertainment City, 1 Aseana Ave, Tambo, Parañaque, 1709 Metro Manila, Philippines | +632 8888 8888 |
Resorts World Manila | Travellers International Hotel Group | Newport Blvd, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines | +63 (2) 7908-8811, customerservice@newportworldresorts.com |
The above seven are some of the best casinos in the Philippines and the southeastern hemisphere. In total, there are over 50 casinos throughout the country, nearly 40 of which are owned by the country’s gaming regulator.
Read Our Reviews & Compare Casinos in the Philippines
Pokies.bet has assembled casino players and experts located in various jurisdictions so that we can create guides based on our own experiences. Our main focus lies within the Aussie gambling industry – still, some of our contributors reside in New Zealand, the Philippines, India, the UK, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, and other areas.
As such, we aim to create fact-based content informing readers about the gambling landscape, best slots, top casinos, and most exclusive bonus deals for each market. This should help you compare and find operators matching your needs without searching elsewhere. Filipino readers should bookmark this page and frequently circle back for gambling updates and new casino bonuses.