Sports betting in the Philippines still has room to grow: Expert
The Philippines may be one of Asia’s fastest-growing digital gaming markets, but sports betting remains in its early stages of development despite the country’s deep-rooted sporting culture, said Erick Su, Head of ArenaPlus at DigiPlus.
Speaking exclusively to SiGMA News on the sidelines of SiGMA Asia 2026, Su said the gap between the Philippines and more mature sports betting markets points to significant room for growth, even as the broader online gaming sector continues to expand.
“I see the opportunity is huge,” Su said. “The Philippines is really a sports-enthusiastic country. Everybody loves sports. They have the biggest fan base outside the US, the biggest in Southeast Asia.”
He pointed to the country’s passion for basketball, boxing and tennis, citing the influence of Filipino tennis star Alex Eala and the long-standing popularity of boxing through figures such as Manny Pacquiao.
“The country is really passionate about sports. So the potential for sports betting is huge,” Su added.
Sports betting has room to grow
Despite growing interest in sports wagering, Su believes the sector remains underpenetrated compared with international benchmarks. “At the moment, the sports betting itself is still in a very early stage,” he said.
“If you look at the gross gaming revenue (GGR) level on the whole of the Philippines, it’s only about 5 to 10 per cent of the GGR. In any other country, it will be 25 and plus. And even some country sports betting is over 50 per cent of the market.”
“Just see the gap between where it is now and the mature market benchmark. It’s got a huge potential.”
His comments come as the Philippines continues to strengthen its position as one of Asia’s leading regulated gaming markets. The SiGMA Asia Market Report 2026 identified the country as Asia’s leading regulated iGaming market, supported by a structured regulatory framework, strong digital adoption and sustained online gaming growth.
Recent data from Blask, a real-time analytics platform for the iGaming industry, also highlights the scale of the opportunity. According to the data, traditional sports betting remains the most popular gambling product in the Philippines, used by 50 per cent of surveyed players. More than half of players are under the age of 35, reflecting a young and digitally engaged customer base.
Educating new bettors remains a challenge
While Su sees significant upside, he also identified player education as one of the biggest challenges facing operators. “The biggest challenge at the moment, I think, is a couple of things. One is the familiarity of the fans about the sports betting,” he said.
Unlike casino games, sports betting requires a deeper understanding of betting markets, odds and wagering options, he explained. “Sports involve a lot of understanding about the market, the odds, the options. So it takes time for people to get to know about it.”
Su said the learning curve remains one of the biggest barriers to wider adoption, although he believes the market continues to attract new players. “We see a lot of growth. And 60 per cent of the players are still new players to sports betting in the last 12 months. So we see there’s a potential growth. But of course, it takes time.”
Localisation over one-size-fits-all strategies
On being asked how operators can succeed across Asia’s diverse gaming markets, Su said localisation remains the most important factor. “Even for the products, it’s about localisation. You need to understand about the players, what they are familiar with, what they like, what is their social behaviour.”
Rather than forcing customers to adapt to products, operators should tailor their offerings to local preferences, he argued. “You just fit into what they like and what they’re familiar with, rather than try to have a hard sale or try to really educate people and push them to get familiar with your products.”
“So you have to make your product fit into the players. That’s the key to get localisation and win over the players.”
His view aligns with broader trends identified by Blask, which found that Philippine players are heavily influenced by mobile-first experiences, social media engagement and localised digital interactions.
Prediction markets unlikely to challenge sportsbooks
Meanwhile, as prediction markets attract growing attention globally, Su does not see them as a threat to traditional sportsbooks in the Philippines. “At this moment, especially in the Philippines, I don’t see this as a potential competitor to traditional sportsbooks,” he said.
Su said prediction markets share similarities with betting exchanges that have existed for decades and have recently gained attention due to their growth in the US. He noted that the US market differs significantly from Southeast Asia, where consumers are generally more familiar with exchange-based financial products and where many prediction market products operate under financial licences.
“People are more familiar with the B2B exchange financial products. Even in the US, the majority prediction is under the financial licence.”
Despite this, Su believes prediction markets could complement existing sportsbook offerings rather than replace them. “So I think it could be a complementary product for traditional sports books to offer to its customer. But I don’t see in a very short time it would be a challenge.”
Technology driving the next phase of growth
Looking ahead, Su expects technology and product innovation to play a major role in shaping sports betting across Asia over the next three to five years. “I think first is from the product innovation itself,” he said.
While sports betting in Asia has traditionally focused on thin-margin, higher-risk wagering products, he believes new technologies are creating more entertainment-driven experiences.
“The new technology have in the market is to introduce more entertainment, recreational, fun to bet products. The engagement will be improved.”
Su pointed to the growth of micro-betting, which allows players to wager on individual moments and outcomes within a match rather than simply betting on the final result.
“You can see the new technology, you have more micro-betting. You can see the game itself has been broken down into different levels rather than just full-time betting.”
“So you can bet a lot of the moment of the game. In basketball, you can bet on player performance, you can bet on rebound, assist, you can bet on minutes, you can bet a quarter.”
He added that operators are introducing a wider range of betting formats, including parlays and other product variations designed to increase engagement.
“There’s a lot of betting opportunity all over the whole games. And also the type of betting like single, game, parlay, there’s a lot of new products and options for the players.”
Technology is also improving communication between operators and customers, Su said. “The technology can also help the real time communication, provide real time promotion rewards to the players.”
He added that technological innovation is ultimately improving the overall betting experience. “The improvement of the whole experience is driven by the technology innovation.”
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