Philippine Q3 GGR falls 11.4% to $1.33bn as e-games slow

The Philippine gaming industry generated PHP83.72bn ($1.33bn) in gross gaming revenue (GGR) for Q3 2026, down 11.41% year-over-year, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) reported. The prior-year total was PHP94.51bn.

Electronic gaming, covering E-Games, E-Bingo and bingo grantees in the regulator's release, fell 22.86% to PHP35.28bn from PHP45.73bn. The PHP10.45bn reduction accounted for most of the industry's PHP10.79bn annual contraction.  

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco attributed the weakness in part to inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty affecting discretionary spending.

Licensed casinos produced PHP45.38bn, a 0.40% annual fall from PHP45.56bn. Their share rose to 54.20% of industry GGR, making licensed properties the biggest contributor for the quarter. PAGCOR-operated casinos generated PHP3.03bn, down 4.81%.

Electronic and online gaming supplied 50.77% of full-year 2025 industry GGR, exceeding licensed casinos for that year. In Q3 2026, licensed casinos were ahead of the electronic segment. The annual and quarterly figures cover different reporting periods, but illustrate how the two segments' relative contributions have changed. 

The comparison with earlier 2026 quarters shows a slower rate of decline but no return to annual growth. Q1 GGR was PHP87.60bn, down 15.87%, and Q2 was PHP88.13bn, down 20.33%. The Q3 total was also below both quarter totals. Electronic gaming revenue of PHP35.28bn was lower than the PHP39.85bn reported for Q2 and PHP39.90bn for Q1.

PAGCOR's detailed industry dataset shows July GGR of PHP29.84bn, August's PHP28.62bn and September's PHP25.27bn. Entertainment City and National Capital Region casinos accounted for PHP36.84bn of the licensed casino total, compared with PHP6.58bn from Clark venues. The annual contraction eased from Q2, but monthly revenue fell across the three months of Q3.

Tengco said PAGCOR would work with licensees to support performance while maintaining responsible gaming oversight. His statement did not set a forecast for Q4 or identify a specific change to electronic gaming rules.

In late October, Global Gaming Insider reported PAGCOR's 23.4% fall in its own nine-month revenue. That figure measures the regulator's income, whereas the latest Q3 release measures gross gaming revenue across the whole industry.