PAGCOR Blocks ₱200 Million in Casino Winnings from Government Employees Amid Gambling Restrictions

• PAGCOR has withheld over ₱200 million (€3.2 million) in casino winnings from government officials and employees in 2025.
• Enforcement includes stringent secondary screening and ID verification at PAGCOR-operated and licensed casinos.
• Government workers caught gambling face administrative penalties from the Civil Service Commission.
• PAGCOR’s National Database of Restricted Persons was accessed in a hacking incident, but core systems remain secure.
• The regulator remains firm on non-negotiable enforcement of gambling bans for government employees.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the nation’s state gaming regulator, has revealed that it has withheld or voided more than ₱200 million in casino winnings from government officials and employees banned from gambling activities during the first seven months of 2025. The move underscores PAGCOR’s commitment to uphold government regulations that prohibit elected officials, civil servants, and uniformed personnel from entering casinos.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco explained that the regulator enforces thorough secondary screening procedures at PAGCOR-operated and licensed private casinos. Players claiming winnings must provide valid identification and undergo verification processes, including CCTV monitoring. If found to be government employees or officials, their winnings are withheld indefinitely, regardless of any appeal.

This strict enforcement comes amid ongoing concerns about government employees violating the ban on gambling. Earlier in 2025, suspended Department of Public Works and Highways district engineer Henry Alcantara admitted to repeatedly visiting casinos with colleagues, sometimes using aliases, fake IDs, or VIP passes to bypass restrictions. PAGCOR continues to investigate these incidents.

In a separate but related move, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has issued reminders that government workers gambling during office hours-whether through land-based or online casinos-face sanctions. Violations could result in charges for conduct prejudicial to the public service under civil service rules.

Further scrutiny arose after reports emerged that PAGCOR’s National Database of Restricted Persons (NDRP), which contains over 560,000 names mainly of elected officials and government employees banned from gambling, was hacked by an international group calling itself Deathnote Hackers International. While the hackers publicly released portions of the database and criticized PAGCOR for allegedly enabling addiction, the regulator clarified that the NDRP is simply a list of persons legally barred from gambling, not a registry of gambling addicts.

PAGCOR confirmed that its essential systems were not compromised and attributed the breach likely to one of its licensed casino operators granted access to the database for enforcement purposes.

Despite the controversy, CEO Tengco reaffirmed PAGCOR’s unwavering dedication to enforcing gambling restrictions on government officials and employees, asserting that the crackdown will continue relentlessly to ensure compliance and preserve public trust.

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