Casino License Checker Philippines

The question I get asked more than any other about online casinos here is simple: is this site legit? So I built this checker to answer it in a few seconds. Type in a casino name or its website address and it tells you whether the site is licensed in the Philippines, licensed offshore, a brand that does not accept Filipino players, or a known fake.

What the checker tells you

The result comes back as one of four plain answers, colour coded so you can read it at a glance on your phone.

PAGCOR-licensed: the site is on PAGCOR’s official list of licensed operators. This is the safest category and the only one fully regulated inside the Philippines.
Offshore-licensed, accepts PH players: the site is not PAGCOR-licensed, but it holds a real license abroad, usually Curacao or Anjouan, and it accepts Filipino players. These are the sites I review most often. Plenty of them pay out fine, but the license protection is lighter than PAGCOR.
Licensed abroad, does not accept PH players: a real, well known brand such as bet365 or 888 that simply does not let Filipinos sign up. Nothing wrong with the site, you just cannot use it from here.
Fake, impersonator, or lapsed license: avoid. Either the site is on an official list of frauds, or it is copying the name of a real brand on a different address, or its license has been pulled.

Why I bothered building this

The numbers are lopsided. PAGCOR lists roughly 65 licensed online operators running around 380 approved websites. The regulator has also said publicly that about 60 percent of the online gambling operators reaching Filipinos are unlicensed. So for every licensed site, there are plenty of unlicensed ones fighting for your deposit.

The worrying part is the copying. In 2025 PAGCOR had to warn the public that fraudsters built a fake version of PAGCOR’s own website to hand out fake licenses. Other sites simply paste the PAGCOR logo onto their page and hope you do not check. If they will impersonate the regulator, they will impersonate a casino brand without blinking.

How the clone trick works

This is the one I want every Filipino player to understand, because it is the easiest way to get caught out. A fake site copies the name of a licensed brand, then puts it on a slightly different web address. Same name, different address. You think you are on the real site, but you are not.

Check the address, not the name. The name is easy to fake. The exact web address is the thing that matters.
Watch for extra words or odd endings. A real brand at brandname.ph might be copied as brandname-vip.com or brandname88.net.
When in doubt, run it through the checker above. If the name matches a real brand but the address does not, the tool flags it as a possible impersonator.

How to check a license yourself

The tool does the fast version, but you can and should confirm anything important yourself before you deposit.

Use the official PAGCOR list. PAGCOR runs a verification page at pagcor.ph/pagcorguarantee. If a site claims PAGCOR and is not on that list, the claim is false.
Look for a live license seal. A real license badge links through to the regulator. A picture of a badge that clicks nowhere is just a picture.
Be suspicious of any site claiming PAGCOR that you cannot find on the register. This is the most common lie in the market.
For offshore sites, check the seal is current. Curacao and Anjouan licenses can lapse. A brand I once rated, Rabona, lost its Curacao license, and the checker now flags it for that reason.

Licensed in the Philippines is not the only kind of legit

I want to be straight with you about this. PAGCOR-licensed is the safest option and the only one regulated at home. But an offshore casino that holds a real Curacao or Anjouan license and pays out is also legitimate, and those are the sites most Filipinos actually play at. The checker does not pretend offshore sites are PAGCOR, and it does not pretend they are scams either. It tells you which is which, so you can decide for yourself.

If you want the fuller picture, I go into the detail on my guides to PAGCOR licensed casinos, legit online casinos in the Philippines, the online casino laws, and my best online casino Philippines list.

Frequently asked questions

Is a PAGCOR license safer than an offshore one?
Yes, in the sense that PAGCOR regulates the operator inside the Philippines and you have a local body to raise a complaint with. Offshore licenses from Curacao or Anjouan are real but lighter, and any dispute is handled abroad. Both can be legitimate, the protection is just different.

A site shows the PAGCOR logo. Does that make it licensed?
No. Anyone can paste a logo onto a web page. The only proof is finding the site on the official PAGCOR list at pagcor.ph/pagcorguarantee. If it is not there, the logo means nothing.

The checker says a site is not on any list. Is it a scam?
Not necessarily. It means I do not have it recorded as licensed or as a known fake. Treat it as unverified. Check the official register and look for a live license seal before you put money in.

Why does a big name like bet365 come back as not for PH players?
Some large, perfectly legitimate brands choose not to accept Filipino players. The site is real, you just cannot sign up from the Philippines, so there is no point depositing.

How often is the tool updated?
I update the lists periodically as PAGCOR changes its register and as new fakes are reported. Licenses move, so always confirm anything important on the official page before depositing.

Can I save the checker to my phone?
Yes. Open it in your mobile browser and choose Add to Home Screen. It installs like an app, so you can check a site before you sign up, wherever you are.

You must be 21 or over to gamble in the Philippines. Play only what you can afford to lose. If gambling is becoming a problem, please read my responsible gambling page or contact PAGCOR.