How to check if an online casino is PAGCOR licensed (step by step)

A licence claim in a website footer proves nothing by itself. Here is a repeatable check that relies on PAGCOR, not on the casino or on review sites. You must be 21 or older to gamble in the Philippines, and this page is for information only.

Step 1: Start from PAGCOR, not from the casino's link

PAGCOR (the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) launched the PAGCOR Guarantee website on 18 June 2025. PAGCOR describes it as a regularly updated list of the internet gaming platforms it licenses and oversees, so players can check whether a site is duly licensed (PAGCOR announcement).

Open pagcorguarantee.ph by typing the address yourself. The page is headed "PAGCOR-Authorized Online Gaming Websites" and lets you filter by category: electronic casino games, sports betting, online poker and bingo. It also links to PAGCOR's self-exclusion site and a responsible gaming page.

Step 2: Match the exact website address

A brand name is not enough. PAGCOR also publishes PDF lists on its regulatory page, including the List of PAGCOR-Accredited Gaming System Administrators and Registered Brands and Domain Names/URLs and the List of Registered Brands and Domain Names/URLs of Licensed Casinos (both now read "as of October 20, 2026"; we first read the 8 October edition). Each entry shows the company, the game offering, the brand and its registered domain names/URLs, with a main domain, sub-domains and additional URLs. One brand can have many registered domains, and look-alike addresses are a common trick, so compare the address in your browser with the registered ones character by character.

Check where the address actually takes you

A listed address can redirect somewhere else. On 28 October 2026 we requested all 491 addresses on PAGCOR's lists dated 20 October 2026 with an ordinary browser user agent. 382 returned an HTTP status; the rest did not respond or timed out, and many returned "access denied" (403) to an automated request, so the results are partial. In 56 cases the request ended on a different website from the one requested. In 51 of those, the destination was another address that is itself on PAGCOR's list, usually a brand consolidating its family of addresses (for example several "mega" names ending on megajd.com, or OKBet's secondary addresses ending on okbet.com). In two cases the destination was a subdomain of a listed brand's own domain (casinomaxx.com.ph to unavailable.casinomaxx.ph, and filplay.com to visitor.filbet.com). In three cases it was a domain that is not on the list: ggpoker.ph to natural8.com, and both 747.live and 747live.com to 747live.bet. Redirects can depend on where you are, so a visitor in the Philippines may see something different, and we draw no conclusion about those brands. The habit to take away: after you type or open a listed address, read the address bar. If you have landed on a different domain, match that new domain against the list too; if it is not there, stop.

Step 3: Check what kind of licence it is

PAGCOR's regulatory page lists several kinds of entity: accredited gaming system administrators with their registered brands and domains, licensed casinos' registered brands and domains, accredited gaming affiliates, and support service providers. Only the brand and domain lists show where players may play, and each entry shows its game offering (for example electronic casino games, sports betting or bingo). An affiliate or support-provider listing is not a casino listing.

Step 4: Use our checker as a shortcut, not proof

Our PAGCOR licence checker compares a website address with the 491 registered domain names in PAGCOR's lists dated 20 October 2026 (the current lists on pagcor.ph/regulatory). It matches exact addresses only and is a shortcut, not a verification, so always confirm on PAGCOR Guarantee.

Beware of fake "verification" sites

PAGCOR has published a notice to the public warning about websites that use its logo without permission and endorse counterfeit PAGCOR certificates generated from three look-alike "licensing" and "verification" websites: verification.pagcorlicense.ph, licensing.newwavelicensing.ph and validator.pagcor-licence.ph. PAGCOR says the websites it lists are not related to or endorsed by PAGCOR and urges people to report misuse of its logo through pagcor.ph/contact-us.php (PAGCOR notice, PDF). A "certificate" or "validator" page that is not on pagcor.ph or pagcorguarantee.ph proves nothing.

Step 5: Watch for red flags

• Guaranteed wins, "risk-free" offers or pressure to deposit quickly.
• Only personal e-wallet or crypto transfers, or "agents" on social media asking you to send money to an individual.
• A licence from another country presented as if it were PAGCOR's.
• Vague claims with no company name or licence details.

More in our scam-spotting guide.

If you cannot verify the site

Do not deposit. Use PAGCOR's channels to ask, and read about KYC and deposits and withdrawals so you know what a normal operator asks for.

If gambling is causing you or someone close to you problems, see our responsible gambling page.

Sa Tagalog: Paano malaman kung legit ang online casino.