Light & Wonder has set its sights on the Philippine online gaming market, despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding its regulatory framework.
The company unveiled its roadmap at the Philippine iGaming Symposium in Manila on Monday. It also became the first international accredited systems aggregator and game content provider licensed by PAGCOR.
Magdalena Podhorska-Okolow, Light & Wonder’s VP Commercial and Managing Director for Europe, told attendees that the company has a “long-term strategy” for investing in the Philippine market.
She outlined: “We have teams on the ground and we’re investing in iGaming teams here as well. We are already actively working on integrations today as we speak with online operators.”
Once launched, this market will be the first in Asia where Light & Wonder’s iGaming products will enter the legal space. In total, the company has submitted 50 gaming titles for the Philippines. Podgorska-Okolow noted that the company “is not going to reinvent the wheel.”
“We already have a lot of great customers today in the land-based side and through these relationships, we know what’s working in the market today,” she added.
“We know which game families are working, we know which games the Filipino players have learned to love over the years, and these are the games and the IP that we’ll be bringing digital versions of.
“From there, it will be very much working together in terms of what we can learn and how we can continue to modify our product to be as relevant as possible for this market.”
The investment has only added to the growing discontent among Philippine politicians with the online gaming sector. A parliamentary inquiry was launched in August to look into the future of the industry in the country, including the possibility of a complete ban.
PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco has warned the government that a complete ban “will only drive players to illegal operators and result in lost revenue and jobs.” According to PAGCOR, e-gaming generated PHP114.83 billion (£1.5 billion) in gross gaming revenue in the first half of 2025.
As a result, Tengco noted, online gaming contributed PHP27.4 billion to “national development,” including PHP14.72 billion in funding for the Universal Health Care Act.
“Every peso we collect from the gaming sector translates to meaningful projects such as classrooms for our children, health programs for our people, and safe spaces for communities in times of calamity. This is how we ensure that gaming directly benefits Filipinos,” he explained.
Speaking at Light & Wonder’s symposium, Tengco urged for stricter regulations rather than an outright ban.
He also highlighted the work already being done by PAGCOR to tighten regulations.
The governing body has mandated the removal of all out-of-home gambling advertisements and also inked a memorandum of understanding with the Ads Standards Council, under which gambling ads across all platforms will be required to be approved before being aired.
PAGCOR has also strengthened its commitment to tackling the issue of illegal gaming sites targeting Filipinos, revealing that it is working on a new AI tool that can rapidly detect illegal sites.
“These illegal sites not only deprive the government of much-needed revenues but also expose Filipino players to numerous risks,” warned Tengco. “PAGCOR is committed to strengthening regulation and enforcement to ensure that only legitimate and properly monitored operators are allowed to operate.”
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