PAGCOR app and influencer liability: enforcement hardens

Two enforcement developments emerged from the Philippines in the same week, pointing in the same direction.

First, PAGCOR chairman Alejandro Tengco confirmed during a Philippine Congress committee session that the regulator will launch a mobile app before the end of 2026. The app will let players check whether an online gaming platform is licensed and regulated. The explicit goal is to redirect consumers away from black market operators.

Second, a Philippine lawmaker is pushing for legislation that would make influencers legally liable when they promote illegal gambling. This follows a concrete enforcement action: PAGCOR fined an Ivana Alawi-linked gaming firm PHP 1 million for conducting a cellphone giveaway that breached advertising rules. The fine signals that PAGCOR is already using existing powers against influencer-adjacent promotions, while the legislature considers making liability statutory and direct.

Unlicensed operators in the Philippines depend on two things: consumer ignorance of licensing status, and cheap acquisition through social media influencers. Both are now under coordinated attack.