Trust becomes next challenge for iGaming in the Philippines
The Philippine gaming industry is growing rapidly, but the next major challenge may have less to do with revenue and more to do with trust. Speaking at SiGMA Asia 2026, Dean Chew, CTO of CasinoCompare.ph, argued that while the country’s online gaming market continues to expand, operators are entering a new phase in which credibility, compliance, and player confidence are as important as revenue.
His comments come at a pivotal moment for the sector. The Philippine gaming industry generated PHP 396.14 billion ($6.9 billion) in gross gaming revenue in 2025, up 6.39 per cent year-on-year. Online and electronic gaming accounted for PHP 201.12 billion ($3.8 billion) of that figure, representing more than half of total industry revenue and overtaking traditional casinos as the largest contributor to growth. Despite the strong numbers, the industry continues to contend with the reputational fallout of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) era.
“I think that ultimately a lot of the problem at the moment is that the different departments are fragmented,” he said. According to Chew, development, compliance, and marketing teams often work toward different objectives, creating inefficiencies that can slow decision-making and execution. “The companies that align across all of their departments are probably going to be the ones that see success.”
As regulatory requirements become more complex and customer acquisition costs continue to rise, operators may find it increasingly difficult to succeed without greater coordination between teams. “If those guys are working together, I think that then it’s a lot easier to get things over the line,” he added.
The shadow of POGOs
The Philippines’ regulatory landscape has undergone significant changes over the past two years. In July 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the closure of offshore gaming operators, citing links between some POGO businesses and criminal activity, including fraud, money laundering and human trafficking.
Although regulated domestic gaming continues to grow, the industry’s reputation has not completely escaped the fallout. “I think the Philippines is a very infant market as we well know,” Chew said. “But it’s a growing market with global scrutiny.”
He believes operators must now work harder to demonstrate legitimacy. “There’s the shadow of the POGOs leaving, so there is that scrutiny of, is this company, is this operator, are they legitimate? Are they PAGCOR licenced?”
Making trust visible
Chew believes many operators have historically treated player protection and compliance as secondary concerns. “I think that there’s been a tendency in the past to sort of just put that as a footnote,” he said.
Instead, he argues that responsible gaming measures, compliance policies and verification procedures should be visible throughout the customer journey. “It needs to be front and center.”
CasinoCompare.ph has taken that approach by prominently displaying information relating to trust, compliance and eKYC processes. “We have placed the trustworthiness, the compliance, the eKYC front and center.”
According to Chew, the strategy is already influencing how users discover gaming brands online, particularly as AI-powered search tools become more widely used. “We’re even finding with LLMs and AI that if people are searching for certain terms like trustworthy casinos in the Philippines, we’re being referenced.”
The trend suggests players are now looking for safety and legitimacy rather than simply bonuses and promotions. That shift may also show wider industry concerns. PAGCOR and law enforcement agencies have spent the past two years cracking down on illegal operators while strengthening oversight of regulated gaming activity.
Authorities have repeatedly stressed the importance of transaction traceability, player protection and regulatory compliance as online gaming expands.
From hyper-growth to trust
Looking ahead, Chew believes the Philippine market is approaching a major transition. “I think we’re going to move out of this sort of hyper-growth phase into a trust phase.”
The prediction is notable given the industry’s continued expansion. PAGCOR expects digital gaming to remain one of the primary drivers of revenue growth, even after offshore operators exit.
However, Chew argues that future winners will not necessarily be the operators spending the most on marketing. “I think that the operators that are really leaning into trust and have the player’s trust are the ones that are going to be successful.”
He also expects the Philippines to gradually follow the path taken by more mature gaming jurisdictions such as the UK, Europe and the United States. “Ultimately, I would imagine that we’re going to see a similar playbook to the more mature UK, US, European markets where the larger operators acquire the smaller ones and their user base.”
As consolidation increases, trusted brands could emerge as the dominant players. “It’s going to be the people that are front and center that users know they can trust.”
Subscribe HERE to SiGMA’s Top 10 News countdown and SiGMA’s weekly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest iGaming News from the biggest iGaming community in the world and benefit from subscriber-only offers.
