Philippines Authorities Sign MOA Restricting Casino Access For Government Employees

The Department of Justice has entered a new agreement with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to strengthen enforcement of the country’s long-standing ban on government workers entering casinos. The memorandum of agreement, signed on Monday, is the first arrangement of its kind in which a government agency will provide PAGCOR with a full list of its officials and employees for enforcement use.

The move is aimed at closing a major weakness in the system and ensuring compliance with the law already prohibiting government employees from gambling activities.During the signing, Secretary of Justice Frederick Vida said public servants are expected to uphold the law through their work and conduct. 

Under Presidential Decree No. 1869, all Philippine government officials and employees are barred from casino gaming. Enforcement has often fallen short because regulators could not access complete and reliable records to identify individuals.

Over 56,000 DOJ personnel to enter database

Under the agreement, the DOJ will submit the names, job titles, and photographs of more than 56,000 personnel from its central office and attached agencies. These include the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Corrections, Public Attorney’s Office, and Office of the Solicitor General.

The information will be added to PAGCOR’s National Database of Restricted Persons, the system used to screen people at casino entrances. PAGCOR is expected to combine the new profiles with facial recognition tools so restricted individuals can be identified and denied entry in real time.

PAGCOR’s restricted list presently contains about 600,000 names, while government personnel is estimated at roughly 4.5 million nationwide. Officials said anyone caught violating the casino ban may face immediate dismissal along with possible criminal, civil, and administrative liability. The upgraded database is meant to make those penalties easier to enforce and applied consistently. 

Senate probe adds pressure to act

The agreement arrives at a time when compliance failures inside the public sector are receiving fresh attention. A Senate investigation in 2025 found that several officials connected to infrastructure irregularities had accumulated gambling losses in casinos, intensifying concerns about oversight and accountability.

PAGCOR also disclosed that it voided more than PHP310 million, or $5.1 million, in casino winnings in 2025 after determining that the claimants were government personnel prohibited from gambling. Restricted individuals were still getting into casinos, playing, and in some cases cashing out significant sums before being flagged.

More agencies may adopt the same model

PAGCOR said other agencies are already considering similar arrangements, including the Department of Public Works and Highways. If that interest turns into formal agreements, the restricted database could expand much faster and give regulators a better chance of enforcing the law across the public service.

Past efforts to widen the database were slowed by concerns tied to the Data Privacy Act of 2012. PAGCOR has said all information shared under these agreements will be securely handled and used only for enforcement. If more departments sign on, the system could turn a patchy rule into a workable control, reflecting broader global efforts to strengthen enforcement and compliance frameworks, as explored in the Global iGaming Regulation Guide.