THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said it booked a P10.8-billion net income for the first half of 2025, a 64.3% increase from P6.6 billion a year earlier, driven mainly by gaming operations and license fee collections.
“We remain focused on continuously strengthening our regulatory framework to ensure that revenues from regulated gaming will continue to benefit the public good,” PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco said in a statement on Wednesday.
PAGCOR said its revenue reached P59 billion as of end-June, rising by 14% from P51.8 billion a year earlier.
“Bulk of PAGCOR’s revenues came from gaming operations and license fee shares amounting to P53.4 billion, while P5.7 billion came from other related services and non-gaming income,” it said.
PAGCOR said revenues from gaming alone surged by 17.7% year on year, driven by licensed digital platforms and land-based casinos.
It said total gross gaming revenue — which comes from the earnings of e-gaming operators, PAGCOR-run casinos, and integrated resorts — reached P214.8 billion in the first half, driven mainly by e-gaming. This also contributed to its higher overall revenue.
On Tuesday, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said the government is still considering increasing the gross gaming revenue (GGR) rates and licensing fees imposed on e-gaming operators — or the share of their earnings from bets that must be paid to the state — despite no mention of the issue in President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s State of the Nation Address.
This was in response to calls for stricter regulation or an outright ban on the online gaming industry.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tengco said PAGCOR’s higher profit boosted the agency’s contributions to nation-building (CNB) by 20% to P38.1 billion from P31.8 billion in the same period last year. Out of the total CNB, P25.36 billion was remitted to the Treasury as the mandated government share.
“From that government share, P30 million was remitted to the Dangerous Drugs Board, while half of the remaining amount — around P12.7 billion — was the PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) share.”
This was in line with the Universal Healthcare Law (Republic Act No. 11223), which mandates that half of PAGCOR’s remittances to the Treasury be directed to PhilHealth.
“If the current pace continues, our UHC (universal healthcare) contribution could reach P25 billion by yearend, enough to provide P10,000 worth of healthcare assistance to over 2.5 million Filipinos,” he said.
PAGCOR said it also remitted P2.7 billion in franchise taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and shelled out P7.9 billion for socio-civic programs, including the President’s Social Fund.
Corporate income tax payments totaled P269.2 million, while local government units hosting Casino Filipino branches received P341 million.
Among PAGCOR’s beneficiaries, the Philippine Sports Commission secured P1.3 billion in the first half.
Other recipients also received their shares, including the Board of Claims (P109.2 million) and the Renewable Energy Trust Fund (P157.35 million). — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
