How to Check PAGCOR Licence

Have you ever wondered how to verify if a gambling site is genuinely licensed and regulated by PAGCOR?

On this page · 3 sections

1. What the license actually covers
2. Where the official lists live
3. How to do the check in two minutes

If you're new to the world of online gambling or looking to ensure the legitimacy of a site, it's crucial to know how to properly check for a PAGCOR license. Simply relying on a site's own claims or badges can be misleading. Instead, you need to verify the site against PAGCOR's official lists and category-specific licensing records.

What the license actually covers

PAGCOR, the Philippines' premier gaming regulatory body, oversees a broad range of gaming activities beyond traditional land-based casinos. Its Electronic Gaming Licensing Department specifically regulates online operations, including:

• Traditional Bingo Games
• Electronic Bingo (e-Bingo) Games
• Electronic (eCasino) Games
• Sports Betting
• Specialty Games
• Online Poker Games
• Numeric Games

A Gaming License from PAGCOR is officially issued to operators to establish and operate gaming sites for these listed activities. This means that if a site claims to be licensed, the license needs to appear on PAGCOR's records for one of these specific categories.

Where the official lists live

To accurately confirm a site's PAGCOR license, you need to refer to PAGCOR's official regulatory pages and its dedicated PAGCOR Guarantee platform. Here’s where to find the definitive information:

1. PAGCOR's Regulatory Page: This section includes category-specific licensing lists, updated regularly. Look for the "Gaming License" tab for the most current registers.

1. PAGCOR Guarantee Portal: This centralized platform, launched as a gateway to PAGCOR-licensed online casinos and gaming platforms, includes a categorized searchable directory of approved providers.

1. PDF License Registers: PAGCOR publishes up-to-date PDF lists of licensed service providers, registered domains, and specific licensed platforms.

How to do the check in two minutes

In two minutes, you can verify a gambling site’s license using the following steps:

1. Find the Operator on Official Lists: Open the "Gaming License" section on PAGCOR's regulatory page and search for the site's operator name.

1. Confirm Brand/ URL Match: Check that the listed operator matches the brand or company name displayed on the site.

1. Validate the Category on Guarantee: Go to the PAGCOR Guarantee portal, and enter the brand name. Validate it’s listed in the relevant category (eCasino, Bingo, Poker, etc.).

1. Cross-reference with PDFs: For an extra layer of certainty, compare the operator and domain names in the official PDF registers.

What to ignore

In verifying a PAGCOR license, ignore the following elements:

1. Fake certificates or domains: Beware of sites with fake certificates or ones using PAGCOR's name in their URL without official permission, such as:

• the fake site www.pagcorphilippines.com. PAGCOR warned against this, emphasizing its illegitimacy and its contents are spurious.

1. Non-PAGCOR domains: Ensure the site’s domain does not claim to be official if it's not linked on the regulatory page or Guarantee portal. PAGCOR specifies its only legitimate site is www.pagcor.ph

What the official lists do and do not prove

The official PAGCOR PDF lists and the Guarantee register are definitive, but understanding their scope is critical:

1. What they prove: These lists conclusively show a site is licensed for a specific category of gaming operations in the Philippines. They tie the platform to a licensed operator and venue.

1. What they do not prove: Specific gaming options, software versions, or fairness of individual games within a licensed platform. They also do not indicate regulatory compliance in other jurisdictions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, verifying a PAGCOR license for an online gambling site is a crucial step to ensure you're dealing with a legitimate platform before you commit your time, money, and trust. Relying on internal badges and certificates is not sufficient; the official PAGCOR lists are the authoritative references. No matter what a site claims, it’s PAGCOR’s own PDF and registry records that ultimately determine its licensed status. Always verify with PAGCOR’s official pages, and you'll have the confidence of dealing with a genuine, regulated operator.