Century Entertainment Called Its Partner PAGCOR-Accredited After PAGCOR Had Cancelled It

Signal Spotlight · Philippine iGaming, licensing and joint venture exposure

What happened

Hong Kong-listed Century Entertainment International Holdings, which ceased all table game operations in Cambodia in April 2025 and is now positioning itself as an online platform provider in the Philippines, addressed the status of its local partner for the first time on September 25, 2026, inside its long-delayed full-year results release for the period ended March 31, 2026, as reported by Inside Asian Gaming. The partner is World Platinum Technologies Inc (WPT). Century holds 51% of their joint venture, Konphil Technology Company Limited, and WPT holds 49%.

The sequence leading to that statement matters. PAGCOR cancelled WPT's GSA accreditation in April 2026. Century then reported at least HK$45 million (about US$5.7 million) in unaudited net winnings before tax from the venture between April and June, according to Asia Gaming Brief. In June, Century announced it had launched a new online gaming platform at seven Philippine gaming venues, describing WPT as a PAGCOR-accredited service provider. In July, PAGCOR proactively contacted both Inside Asian Gaming and Asia Gaming Brief to clarify that WPT was "no longer an accredited Gaming System Administrator (GSA) of PAGCOR, as its GSA accreditation has already been cancelled in April 2026." PAGCOR did not disclose its reason for cancelling the accreditation, and Asia Gaming Brief was unable to establish whether the cancellation took effect before or after Century's Philippine operation formally began that month. Asia Gaming Brief separately reported, citing information it obtained, that the cancellation related to violations of PAGCOR regulations, though the nature of those violations has not been disclosed and PAGCOR has not confirmed this itself.

Century's response rests on a specific legal argument. The company says it obtained legal advice concluding it can still operate legally in the Philippines because Konphil signed an agreement with another PAGCOR-accredited Gaming Content Provider as its exclusive distributor or reseller. Century also says WPT has maintained normal operations through its own separate agreement with another PAGCOR-accredited GSA.

Why it matters

The disclosure timing is the first thing worth weighing. Century described WPT as PAGCOR-accredited when announcing its June launch, after that accreditation had already been cancelled. PAGCOR corrected the public record in July. Century's first public response came roughly two months later, in a results release that was itself long delayed. For a company listed in Hong Kong, that sequence raises questions about disclosure accuracy and timing that sit apart from whether the underlying operation is compliant.

The legal structure Century is relying on is the more interesting regulatory question. The issue isn't simply whether Century is compliant, it's whether routing operations through a different PAGCOR-accredited content provider and GSA actually cures the loss of the original partner's accreditation. That depends on how PAGCOR's framework treats reseller and distributor chains, and PAGCOR hasn't ruled publicly on this specific structure. Worth being precise here: PAGCOR has already spoken publicly on the underlying fact, confirming the cancellation. What remains unresolved is narrower, whether Century's workaround holds.

The JV's own commercial terms sharpen the point. Under the arrangement Century described, Konphil develops the gaming applications and retains 85% of net winnings, while WPT receives 15% as a fee for platform hosting, infrastructure, and compliance services, alongside a fixed annual licensing fee of $500,000. The partner contractually responsible for compliance services is the one whose accreditation was cancelled. That's a structural detail worth noting for any operator evaluating who in a joint arrangement is actually carrying the regulatory standing the whole structure depends on.