Philippines — New Leader in Interest in Gambling Brands

In September, the Philippines overtook Brazil and India to rank first in the Blask Index, which measures how frequently people across more than 100 countries search for gambling brands online. Meanwhile, licensed operators are generating less revenue than a year ago: according to the regulator, online gaming revenue in the country fell by more than a third in Q2 2026.

Search Interest

🔵 Over the past year, the Philippines’ Blask Index increased by 87%, with an 8% month-on-month rise. Brazil, meanwhile, recorded declines of 31% year-on-year and 9% month-on-month.

🔵 On September 25, Brazil banned online betting and casinos, meaning September’s data reflects only the first few days following the ban.

🔵 More than half of gambling-related search demand in the Philippines is concentrated among three brands: PlayTime, Casino Plus, and BingoPlus.

🔵 By June, PlayTime accounted for nearly a quarter of the country’s search demand, with the brand recording an annual growth rate of 2,181%.

Official Revenue

🔴 In Q2 2026, online gaming revenue in the Philippines declined by 37.2% year-on-year to PHP 39.85 billion (approximately $675 million). In Q1, the decline was 22.4%.

🔴 These figures are published by the regulator PAGCOR and include bingo and poker in addition to online gaming.

🔴 In June, the regulator projected that total gambling market revenue could decline by as much as 19% in 2026.

🔴 The regulator attributes the decline to two main factors: in August 2025, the central bank prohibited direct access to online casinos through e-wallet applications, while the crisis in the Middle East negatively affected the economy.

🔴 Official figures for September are not yet available, with Q2 remaining the latest published reporting period.

Revenue Estimates and Licensing

🔵 Blask also estimates gambling market revenues, with Brazil’s estimated revenue exceeding that of the Philippines by 53%.

🔵 In the Philippines, licensed operators account for 62% of estimated revenue, compared to 97% in Brazil.

🔵 The remaining 38% of estimated gambling revenue in the Philippines is generated by unlicensed operators.

Conclusion

The increase in search activity and the decline in revenue in the Philippines may be connected. Before August 2025, players did not need to search for certain online casinos, as they could access them directly through e-wallet applications where their funds were already available. Now, players must first enter a gambling brand’s name into a search engine. These searches are captured by the Blask Index, but not everyone who searches for a casino ultimately makes a deposit. Therefore, the Philippines’ leading position in the rankings may partly reflect the fact that accessing online casinos has become a longer, more complicated process.