Casino entry requirements in the Philippines: age 21, ID, dress code and foreigners

Short answer: you must be 21 or older, you must not be on PAGCOR's list of restricted persons, and you should carry an original government photo ID (a passport if you are visiting). Dress rules are set by each casino. For e-games and bingo venues, PAGCOR's current framework (effective 6 November 2025) requires everyone to "dress modestly and appropriately"; the 2017 list banning slippers, shorts and sandos no longer appears in it.

Who may not enter

PAGCOR's Responsible Gaming page (read 9 November 2026) cites the PAGCOR Charter (PD 1869, as amended by RA 9487) and Civil Service Commission Resolution No. 2600111, and lists these people as "prohibited from entering and playing in any gaming establishment; and playing on any online gaming platform":

• Government officials and employees: the national government, LGUs, autonomous regional governments, state and local universities and colleges, and government-owned or -controlled corporations with original charters. The page adds that "the mere presence of government officials and employees in gaming establishments is likewise prohibited, except when in the performance of official duties" (the CSC ban explained).
• Members of the AFP (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the PNP.
• Persons under 21 years of age.
• Persons in the National Database of Restricted Persons (NDRP), which includes people who self-excluded or were excluded by family (self-exclusion).
• Employees of licensees or Gaming Employment License (GEL) holders.
• Financiers and loan sharks, who may not roam casino premises offering loans to players.

Age: 21, and the student question

A 21-year-old may enter from their 21st birthday if none of the other categories applies. The ban covers entering, not only playing, so there is no separate lower age for slot areas or for watching.

One group is listed differently in different PAGCOR documents. The Responsible Gaming Code of Practice (version 6.0) lists "persons under 21 years of age or student at any school, college, or university in the Philippines", and Section 14 of the PAGCOR Charter has near-identical wording. The list on PAGCOR's Responsible Gaming page does not mention students. The Code is still the version PAGCOR links from that page, so a college student aged 21 or over is still covered by its wording. Details and history: who can play: age 21 and restricted persons.

What ID to bring

Bring an original, valid government-issued photo ID; visitors should bring their passport. Under the PhilSys Act, private entities must accept the PhilID as valid proof of identity (RA 11055, Section 12). Three rules explain why casinos check:

• Age and restricted persons. A casino has to keep out everyone on the list above. PAGCOR's casino manual requires its surveillance system to cover the "treatment of persons whose names appear in the National Database for Restricted Persons (NDRP)" (Casino Regulatory Manual, Revision 0, effective 13 August 2025).
• The NDRP itself works from ID details. The database template in the Responsible Gaming Code records each excluded person's name, date of birth, "ID presented" and nationality. Its list of acceptable government-issued photo IDs includes the Philippine or foreign passport, TIN, GSIS, SSS and the Alien Certificate of Registration or Immigrant Certificate of Registration.
• Anti-money laundering. Republic Act 10927 (2017) made casinos covered persons under the Anti-Money Laundering Act for their gaming cash transactions and set the casino reporting threshold at a single transaction above ₱5,000,000 (Lawphil; what this means for KYC).

Which IDs a given casino accepts at its door, and whether it accepts a photo of an ID on your phone, is the casino's own rule. Bring the physical card.

Dress code

E-games stations and bingo halls. PAGCOR's Regulatory Framework for Gaming Venue Operations (Rev. No. 0, effective 6 November 2025) covers venues licensed by PAGCOR's Electronic Gaming Licensing Department, such as e-games, eBingo and traditional bingo. It states that it "shall repeal previous issuances, memoranda, orders, rules and regulations governing gaming venue operations". Among the mandatory provisions in each venue's operating rules:

• Dress: "Everyone within the gaming venue is required to dress modestly and appropriately." Venue personnel "are not allowed to wear indecent or short and revealing outfits, among others."
• Hours: "An Operator may operate its gaming venue for twenty-four (24) hours a day."
• Who is barred: government officials connected directly with the operation of the government, AFP and PNP members, persons under 21 or students of any school, college or university in the Philippines, banned persons including those in the NDRP, and unregistered players; GEL holders may not play.
• ID: players must register with one valid government-issued ID showing a photo, full name and date of birth, and be at least 21 when they apply.

The house rules also say "Management reserves the right to deny entry to any person", so a venue can be stricter about clothes. Details: e-games and bingo hall rules.

The 2017 rules, now replaced. A 13 July 2017 PAGCOR memorandum, "Implementation of Relevant Provisions in the Gaming Site Regulatory Manuals", told electronic games and bingo gaming site operators that slippers, shorts, sandos/jerseys and tattered clothes were not allowed for men, and slippers, skimpy outfits and tattered clothes not allowed for women. It also set a six-hour limit on how long a customer could play and stay, and a 15-hour cap on opening hours; a memo of 5 September 2017 raised that cap to 24 hours (PAGCOR). Neither the clothing list for customers nor the six-hour limit appears in the 2025 framework.

Integrated resorts and other licensed casinos are covered by a different manual. The 2025 Casino Regulatory Manual does not print a dress code. Instead, Regulation 14 requires each licensee's Casino Operational Rules and Guidelines to include "guidelines on entry to casino premises", "exclusion orders" and "prohibited acts within the casino premises". In other words, Okada Manila, Solaire, City of Dreams and the others each set their own door policy within PAGCOR's rules.

Can you wear shorts in Okada casino?

The Casino Regulatory Manual requires each casino's operating rules to include "guidelines on entry to casino premises", and Okada's own rules are not published by PAGCOR. Long trousers, a shirt with sleeves and closed shoes are the safe choice; if you want to wear something else, call the casino first.

Foreigners

• No nationality bar. PAGCOR's list of prohibited persons names no nationality.
• Some tables are only for foreigners. The Casino Regulatory Manual (Regulation 19) says "only players holding valid foreign passports shall be eligible to play or participate at designated junket tables".
• The student rule follows the school, not the passport. The Code's wording covers students "at any school, college, or university in the Philippines", so a foreign student enrolled here is within it.
• Exclusion covers foreigners too. The NDRP records nationality and accepts foreign passports and ACRs.
• Online is different. Some operators restrict who may register: eGames' Terms of Use require players to be "a Filipino Citizen, living in the Philippines, and not residing outside the country" (eGames check).

Online casinos ask the same questions

Licensed sites show the same list as an eligibility gate before you register, and their terms say an ineligible player's funds are forfeited to the Government (OKBet, NuSTAR). Then comes KYC with a government ID and selfie (what to expect). A site that accepts you without asking is a warning sign, not a convenience (scam signs).

If gambling is causing problems, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is free and open 24 hours: 02-8248-9568.