The Philippine gaming sector – including non-casino operations – produced gross gaming revenue (GGR) of PHP87.60 billion (US$1.42 billion) in the first three months of 2026, 15.9-percent lower than in the prior-year period.
The decline was largely driven by a “weaker performance” of the electronic gaming sector, which saw revenue down 22.4 percent from a year ago, to PHP39.90 billion in the first quarter, said on Saturday the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
The segment encompasses e-bingo, e-games, bingo grantees, and onsite and off-site poker, as per Pagcor’s classification. It accounted for circa 45.6 percent of aggregate GGR in the January to March period.
The announcement cited Pagcor’s chairman and chief executive, Alejandro Tengco, as saying the performance of the nation’s gaming industry in the opening quarter of 2026 reflected the impact of economic headwinds and evolving market conditions, a view he had also expressed in April.
“We attribute the first-quarter dip to several factors, including softer discretionary spending amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and rising inflationary pressures,” Mr Tengco stated.
The country’s licensed commercial-sector casinos were the biggest contributors to first-quarter GGR, at PHP44.52 billion, down 9.7 percent from a year earlier. The figure represented circa 50.8 percent of total GGR in the opening quarter of 2026.
Pagcor-operated casinos – under its network of Casino Filipino venues – brought in PHP3.17 billion in GGR in the three months to March 31, a 8.1-percent decline from a year earlier. It accounted for 3.6 percent of total revenue in the period.
Pagcor’s Mr Tengco said in his prepared remarks that he remained optimistic about the future of the local gaming industry, as local operators continued to invest in integrated resorts, digital innovation, and responsible gaming initiatives, per the release.
“We remain hopeful that once the geopolitical tensions stabilise, consumer confidence and discretionary spending will also gradually recover, which should help support improved industry performance,” he added.
The Philippine gaming sector generated GGR of PHP396.14 billion in full-year 2025, a 6.4-percent increase from the previous year. The growth in revenues from the country’s electronic gaming sector offset the decline in earnings from land-based casinos.
The electronic and online segment generated PHP201.12 billion in revenues last year, becoming the biggest contributor to GGR.
