Best Online Casino Philippines: A Closer Look
Online gambling across Asia has risen in popularity. With countries like Japan leading the way, many other countries have decided to follow in their footsteps. Hong Kong casinos exist, for example, but what about the Philippines? Are there any legit online casino Philippines options out there?
Well, in this review, we’ll be talking all about the best online casino Philippines platforms that you can play with. We will also cover the legality of gambling as a whole in the Philippines, and what you can and can’t do in the country. So, without any further ado, let’s get stuck right in.
The Best Online Casino Philippines Platforms
Here are the absolute best online casino Philippines websites that you will find right now. We took careful consideration of multiple key factors when reviewing them, and each is fully licensed and offers a great welcome bonus. Have a look and choose your favourite!
- Minimum $10 deposit
- 35x wagering requirement
- Multiple other deposit bonuses
- Minimum €20 deposit
- 30x wagering
- Minimum €20 deposit
- Available across 5 deposits
- Free spins spread across 10 days
- Welcome bonus: 200% up to $2000
- 35x wagering
- Valid for 30 days
- 100% deposit match up to €2,000
- 40x wagering
- Regular promos
Gambling Laws in the Philippines
Many would think that the Philippines would be conservative when it comes to gambling, especially when considering its neighbours Malaysia and Papua New Guinea are a lot more conservative. However, that is not the case, and has never been the case. The Philippines has always openly supported legal and secure gambling, and has done so for decades now.
The Philippines first licensed gambling back in 1975, and since then, they have never looked back. This act, originally, was only designed to legalise certain sports betting activities, such as horse racing, football and lotteries. It would not be until 1995, with the Republic Act 7922, that casino play as we know it became legalised.
This Act allowed for certain operators to open their doors within the Philippines with land-based casinos for players to enjoy. These casinos are for tourists only, however, and Filipino residents are barred from entry to these casinos.
Physical Casinos
Currently, there are a total of 50 operational casinos based in the Philippines, with some being run by PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), and some being privately run by tourist operations. It is the most operational casinos that any country in Asia currently has, which is why the Philippines are considered the biggest gambling country in Asia.
Safe and legal gambling has always been considered an essential part of Filipino culture, for a variety of reasons. For one, it is a consistent source of revenue for the local economy, especially when it comes to tourism. Secondly, it acts as a huge employer, employing a huge chunk of the population to many of these land-based casinos.
Online Casinos
When the internet grew to popularity in the early 2000s, it seemed like a natural progression that online betting in the Philippines would also blossom. Some of the best online casino Philippines platforms would quickly pop up and become available to customers. POGOs (Philippine-based online gambling operators) offer services exclusively to foreign-based players and there are plenty of operators available in this respect.
Future Changes
At the moment, the Philippines has a great, reliable and safe regulatory body with PAGCOR. PAGCOR allows for more progressive decisions when it comes to betting in the Philippines, which is why online betting was legalised in the country so quickly. In all honesty, we do not expect any future changes to come to the current Filipino gambling climate.
Many of the land-based casinos are properly regulated, and online there is plenty of legislation in place to keep players safe. Having the divide between POGOs for tourists, and international based casinos for locals also means everyone has a safe and secure betting option, so we cannot see the Philippines lawmakers changing that anytime soon.
Casino Bonuses for Players in the Philippines
As such a gambling friendly country, it should come as no surprise that many legit online casino Philippines platforms offers a wide variety of bonuses. Whether it’s the international options or the POGOs, you’ll find that there are plenty of casino bonus offers for you to choose from in the Philippines.
Deposit Bonuses
The most popular option for many Filipino players, you’ll find the majority of both POGOs and international casinos will offer deposit bonuses for their players. You’ll find that the most popular casino bonus that you’ll come across is matched deposit bonuses. This is commonly a 100% deposit bonus, which sees you double your funds right away; you can usually unlock this with just a small minimum deposit.
Free Spins
Free spins are also common across most Filipino-based casinos. Although, with free spins, they seem to act more as a supplementary bonus. You may get them as part of a weekly or monthly bonus in a loyalty programme, or you may get them as an add on as part of a sign up bonus.
Either way, you certainly will not find a shortage of these offers, especially among the best online casino Philippines platforms.
No Deposit Bonuses
No deposit bonuses are not that common in the Philippine based online gambling world. This is the case in most other countries too, and when they do exist, they are generally for very small amounts. Still, getting one is a great way to test a new casino without any financial risk.
How We Review Online Casino Philippines Platforms
When it comes to Philippine exclusive factors we take into account, all we expect is that the online casino follows the laws of the land. The Philippines are quite lenient in their gambling laws. As long as you are fully regulated and legislated by PAGCOR, then you are in the clear.
PAGCOR makes all the necessary safety decisions in regards to the best online casino Philippines platforms, so we trust their judgment. However, here’s some other factors that we will always consider in our reviews before we would recommend them to anybody.
This includes different slot games with different themes from all the biggest providers. The best online casino Philippines platforms will also have a wide variety of table games as well, from poker to roulette and blackjack.
It also helps greatly when an online platform provides a variety of different payment methods for a customer to choose from. Debit/credit card, cryptocurrency, eWallets, bank transfers. You name it, a legit online casino Philippines website will have it available for their players.
Popular Philippines Casino Games
We have covered in detail how gambling has been a part of Filipino culture for decades now. Since it has been a legal form of entertainment in the country since the 1970s, there are some games that are historically and culturally still popular in the Filipino gambling world today.
With tourism numbers in the Philippines booming, there are certainly some game types that keep attracting players back to the country. The likes of slot games, certain card games and other table games are definitely attractions in the best online casino Philippines platforms. But, which games are the favourites?
Slots games
Without a doubt, the most popular betting games in the Philippines are slots games. It comes as no surprise why that is either. They are simple to understand, easy to play and attractive with their aesthetic. Filipino players seem to enjoy a variety of themes with traditional fruit slots commonly chosen.
Poker
More of a game of strategy, and skill, poker offers what slot games do not offer for their players. That is likely why poker has become so popular in the country, compared to other table games that rely more on chance and luck, than strategy. Any land-based casino you go to in the Philippines, you will see that there are many high stakes tables that you can play with, and the stakes are certainly high.
Roulette
Roulette always seems to be popular in any of the best online casino Philippines websites we’ve visited, and for good reason too. Roulette is the perfect thrill ride, its based around chance, and there are so many ways you can wager on a roulette table. You can bet on sets, on over/under, on odds/evens and you can even bet on one number, and play high risk- high reward. These betting options clearly appeal to Filipino players, as they keep coming back to play roulette time and time again.
Online Casino Philippines Payments
We briefly covered earlier how variety is essential to payments. Well, the Philippines understands that, and completely understands that a player needs to have options when they are depositing and withdrawing their money.
Many of the best online casino Philippines platforms will have plenty of options to choose from. Debit, crypto and digital wallets – you’ll have plenty of options when playing at these platforms. So, which option will you choose? Well, let’s review each one carefully, and how they work within the Philippines.
Cryptocurrencies
In the Philippines, cryptocurrency has obtained completely legal status. However, it is not considered legal tender. What this essentially means, that on a domestic basis, it cannot be traded for goods and services. So, if you are playing at any POGOs, that are domestically run online, you will not be able to use cryptocurrencies.
But, it is easy and completely legal to use these cryptocurrencies when playing on international online casinos. So, platforms like BC.Game, which already offer crypto options, will have those options still available for Filipino players. Some popular crypto options you have include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tron and Dogecoin.
eWallets
eWallets are certainly popular in the Philippines, with them currently being the most popular form of paying for goods and services in the country. So, widespread availability is not a problem, especially when it comes to the best online casino Philippines websites. However, you may be asking: what eWallets are available in the Philippines?
Well, your options are limited when it comes to popular international options. PayPal is the only familiar option you may know if you’re not from the Philippines. Apart from that, your options are all domestic: eWallets such as GCash, Maya and BPI Banko are more widely available across online casinos.
Traditional Payment Methods
If you’re looking for a more safe and secure payment method, well you will have no shortage of that in the Philippines. Many of the classic debit and credit cards that you may use will all be available on the big online casinos. Options such as Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay and JCB are all options readily available to use for a customer.
Tips for Choosing Casinos in the Philippines
We’ve already given our own advice for how we rate the top 10 online casinos in the Philippines. But, what guidelines can you rely on when you are looking for the right online casino for you? Well, take a look at our checklist below, and we’d recommend your online casino ticks all these boxes.
VIP Schemes
A great online casino always has a great loyalty program. A program that gives back to its customers, and that is worth signing up for. By looking at the casino VIP section of the best online casino Philippines platforms, you will see a VIP scheme that gives any player a bang for his buck.
When the scheme offers a player consistent weekly/monthly rewards, their own personal customer service representative and real time rewards, it’s a VIP scheme that is worth signing up for.
Customer Support
Every legit online casino Philippines platform should have customer support you can rely on. There are three things customer service should provide to their customers: efficiency, speed and helpfulness. Any customer support representative that can easily fix any issue you have with your online betting is worth the investment.
It also helps when there is a variety of customer support options to choose from. Usually, the best online platforms offer a 24/7 live chat, a telephone line and an email to contact.
Games
The best will always provide the best. It has always been this way, and it should come as no surprise that the best online casino Philippines platforms will provide you the best games from the best developers. The first indicator of a great variety of games is the developers the online casino uses. Notable, award winning developers such as NetEnt, Pragmatic Play and Games Global are among some of those developers.
Apart from that, the games should just be fun to play with, and offer great rewards. Slots should run smoothly, and offer huge multipliers to the players. Table games should have a fair rakeback and regular promos. These key factors will always make for a great game, no matter how simple or complex it is.
A Closer Look at a Recommended Philippines Online Casino
BC.Game is one of the finest casino sites that is available to players in the Philippines. It simply provides an all-round impressive experience to players. This is evident from the generous welcome bonus that is on offer all the way to the plentiful slot games.
There is also a good range of different table games, with variants of poker, blackjack and roulette all at their disposal. You also have a great range of deposit and withdrawal methods, from debit cards to eWallets and direct crypto transfers.
With a VIP programme that offers real time rewards and a helpful customer service, BC.Game offers everything that a Filipino bettor needs to enjoy themselves.
18+. New players only. Minimum qualifying deposit of $10 (or equivalent). Receive up to $20,000 (in BCD) credited to Rakeback. Bonus unlocked based on wagering activities in casino and sports games, calculated as wager x 1% x 20%. Full terms and conditions apply.
Online Casino Philippines Summary
- Gambling has been legal in the Philippines since 1975
- Online gambling is legal, with POGOs legal for foreigners and international casinos legal for locals
- All payment methods are available: crypto, eWallets and debit cards, among more
- Slots are the most popular game in the country, followed by poker and then roulette
- The legal status of gambling in the Philippines is progressive, and will likely continue that way
If you’re looking for a platform to get started with in your Philippines betting journey, we recommend BC.Game. Alternatively, there are other online casinos that will allow you to place wagers from the country. It is up to you, but we recommend you sign up to one of these platforms, and try them for yourself!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Philippines has plenty of top gambling sites – read our FAQs below to get a greater understanding of the country.
Yes, gambling is legal in the Philippines, and has been since 1975.
That is up to you and your requirements, but we can strongly suggest BC.Game as a great option.
Yes, you can play with real money at Filipino casinos, both land based and online. Just check out one of our recommended casino sites for yourself and be sure to gamble responsibly at all times.
