Safety
Spotting Fake Casino Links
Knowing how to spot a fake online casino link is crucial for anyone who enjoys gambling through digital platforms in the Philippines.
On this page · 3 sections
The lure of easy, legal gambling tempts many into trusting a suspiciously promotional link. In September 2025, PAGCOR flagged 11,985 illegal gambling sites in the Philippines, with 6,363 online casino sites and 4,815 online cockfighting sites leading the list.
PAGCOR estimated that of all online gaming sites accessed in the Philippines, around 50% are indeed illegal.
How do you know if that slick app you were sent on social media is a genuine licensed operator and not just another scam financed by taking your money and data in return?
Common tricks
Fake online casino links often impersonate authority figures through methods like cloned logos, counterfeit certificates, and even deepfake promotional videos. In January 2025, PAGCOR flagged a Facebook deepfake video that falsely claimed PAGCOR approval and promoted an unlicensed gaming platform.
Not just a few months later, in March 2026, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) started publicly flagging social media influencers and pages promoting illegal online gambling.
PAGCOR also warns about fraudulent certificates circulated on social platforms like Facebook, X, Telegram, and Viber.
Readers should ignore any social media account claiming that their games are approved, licensed, or legal because they've had a meeting or are posting pictures with influencers, political personalities, personal assistants, or PAGCOR key officers.
While high-profile actors or groups sharing a link is a strong clue, it should not be proof of legitimacy. A fraudulent online gambling platform in the Philippines can be accepted on social platforms like Facebook, despite repeated warnings.
Who can block a site
Although PAGCOR enforces legal policies, it does not have police powers. Reports of illegal gambling are sent to PAGCOR partner agencies, including the DICT, CICC, and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). It is the NTC that blocks access to illegal websites.
PAGCOR’s AI monitoring tool, built with the CICC, increased reporting from about 100 to about 500 illegal websites per week and cut blocking time from 48 hours to 24 hours.
Since September 2022, PAGCOR has worked with these government agencies to flag 13,399 websites for illegal gambling in the Philippines, and the NTC has blocked 12,562 websites in October 2025.
How to report it
If you come across a suspicious gaming link on social media, PAGCOR’s advice is plain: never pay anything. Do not click the link. Instead, report it to the government via the official channels.
Similarly, PAGCOR warns that unauthorized use of its logo or claiming to hold a PAGCOR certificate on Facebook, X, Telegram, or Viber can be reported through PAGCOR’s contact page.
Finally, players can verify whether a site is licensed via PAGCOR, before playing or not, by checking the PAGCOR Guarantee site.
