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Best Betting Sites in the Philippines Ranked

#1 ?? 22Bet – Best Overall Betting Site
#2 ?? Melbet – Top Welcome Bonus
#3 ?? 1xBet – Top Live Betting Website
#4 ?? Betway – Best Odds

Introduction

Gambling has existed in the Philippines for longer than anybody remembers. Some believe that gambling arrived on the archipelago with the Spanish. There are over 100 physical bookmakers shops in the Philippines operated by MegaSportsWorld. This is a state-run monopoly operated by the licensing body PAGCOR. The individual shops do have some degree of autonomy, though. This guarantees that you will still receive decent odds if you choose to bet at these locations.

PAGCOR also oversees and licenses other land-based gambling venues as well. This includes poker rooms, bingo parlours, casinos, plus eGames, unique to the Philippines. eGames locations feature several terminals allowing you to play casino or bingo games.

Exciting Facts About Betting in the Philippines

The country’s gambling regulator, PAGCOR, has existed for more than 50 years. This means that the Philippines was one of the first countries to address gambling in this manner.
The current president of the Philippines does not agree with online gambling.
Passed in 1995, a law enacted to create the Cagayan Freeport made it onto the statute book. Unfortunately, the intended casinos were never built. The associated CEZA gaming regulator was more successful. Many Asian gambling sites are now licensed by CEZA.
The banking systems of the Philippines are as good as any in the Western World. This means Filipinos receive fast withdrawals to any payment method from offshore operators.
Cockfighting has long been outlawed in most other countries. These types of gambling are still legal and popular in the Philippines.
In 2017, a gunman killed or injured dozens of people at the Resorts World Manila complex. He then moved to a storage area with the intention of stealing casino chips. Initial evidence strongly pointed to terrorist attacks, with ISIL claiming responsibility. Despite this, the incident was later officially associated with a financial motive and a disgruntled gambler.

Gambling Legislation and Laws

Gambling was not included in any Philippine law until 1975. The President, Ferdinand Marcos, created the first Filipino gambling law. Known as Decree No. 1067-a, this law made gambling officially legal for the first time.

Decree No. 1067-a created the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The regulation specifically mentioned which forms of gambling entertainment are legal. As with any such wide-ranging law, it was not perfect the first time around. It required several amendments to make it fit for the purpose. The Filipino government also made several more amendments as time passed by. This was to ensure that the law continued to address new forms of gambling.

A brief synopsis of the recent amendments to Decree No. 1067-a follows:

2017 – Executive Order (No. 13): The order permits Filipinos residents new abilities concerning online gambling. Specifically, Filipinos may place wagers at regulated, legal offshore gambling sites. The law also places new limitations on domestic operators. Filipino companies may not offer online gambling services to residents of the Philippines.
2017 – Republic Act (No. 10927) strengthens the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 by including gambling services. This law prohibits large wager and payouts.
2019 – House Bill 8910 was created to regulate online cockfighting. This is known as e-sabong locally.

These changes and laws may seem irrelevant to those outside the Philippines. For local residents, though, they are essential to know. For those thinking of visiting the Philippines to gamble, the rules are very simple. Land-based casinos and poker rooms are all over the country. The current president in 2021 disagrees with online gambling yet enforces no restrictions.

Top Online Betting Websites in the Philippines

#1 22Bet

22Bet is a new gambling operator. They are very popular amongst Filipino bettors. The company offers a very competitive sportsbook with all the latest features. Exclusive bonuses are offered for Filipino players. Bettors can deposit as little as $1 using a huge range of payment methods. Withdrawals are very fast, too, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours at the most.

Visit 22Bet

#2 Melbet

Betway is a British gambling operator that is very popular in the Philippines. The in-play betting facilities of their sportsbook are amongst the best around. They also offer world-class mobile betting facilities. The site claims to offer over 30,000 different markets in its sportsbook. Esports is also included, which is an area of great interest to Filipino bettors.

Visit Melbet

Competition between Operators

There is no competition between the state-run monopoly PAGCOR and offshore gambling sites. This is because the two entities offer such different products. Offshore companies provide far more markets and betting lines than PAGCOR. PAGCOR knows there is no point trying to compete in this manner. They do not yet have the technology like in-play betting or live streaming available.

As for competition between offshore operators, it is difficult to judge. All of them offer excellent bonus deals to Filipino players. There is no obvious sign that anyone particular operator is trying to corner the market.

Bonuses from Filipino Bookmakers

The PAGCOR service does not generally offer bonuses as they have no online presence. They do occasionally offer special promotions in their betting shops, though. Offshore operators tend to provide various types of new player bonuses.

Free bets and sign-up bonuses for Filipino punters are not uncommon among sportsbook sites accepting players from this region. Reload prizes are offered regularly, as well. Bettors can expect seasonal and special bonuses typically tied to big sports events. You should check individual sportsbooks to find current bonuses and betting promotions, as they change over time. You can refer to our updated table, as well.

Betting features and Options in the Philippines Bookmakers

The PAGCOR service has over 100 physical locations spread across the Philippine archipelago. They also have a mobile app available, although it has limited features. They offer local, regional and international sports, but the number of markets is small. Wagering options are limited to straight bets, totals and money line bets. Offshore operators offer many more features, including cash out options, bet builder features, live betting, live streaming and more.

Further features include:

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	Cash-Out Early Cash-Out allows you to abandon a bet that is currently in play. Cancelling your bet early allows you to avoid potential upcoming risks. You achieve this by immediately collecting a proportion of your expected winnings. Punters can optimize their betting skills by cashing out on football, tennis, horse racing, golf and basketball, among other sports. Be aware that forecast/tricast, system bets and Asian handicap bets are sometimes excluded from the cash out feature.
	Pre-Match Betting Pre-Match betting allows you to place bets on a contest at high odds before the contest has begun.
	In-play Betting In-Play Betting allows you to place bets on specific aspects of ongoing contests. An example would be: who will score the next goal in a football match.
	E-Sports Betting E-Sports Betting is only now getting started in the Philippines. There are various betting markets on sports like FIFA, CS: GO, LoL, Dota II and more.
	Live Streaming Live Streaming allows you to watch a game in play straight from the bookmaker’s website. This is very useful when placing in-play bets.
	Bet Builder Bet Builder functionality allows you to merge many bets into a single wager. Multiplying the odds together, if all your bets are correct, you will collect a nice win.

Available Payment Methods

Filipino gamblers have access to all the largest payment methods in the world. As we know, most European countries have legal and regulated online gambling markets. Filipino gamblers have access to a greater number of payment methods than even many of those!

We will use 22Bet as an example, but we have checked several of the largest Philippine gambling sites. This list appears to be very much in line with what you can expect, wherever you choose to play. Available options include bank cards, electronic wallets, prepaid cards, crypto and even Money Orders. Deposits can be made using the Philippine peso at selected venues, but international currencies such as USD are more prevalent.

One thing that differs between sportsbooks and online casinos is their withdrawal time. Whilst some sites are happy to pay you immediately, others make you wait days to get your hands on your winnings. Be sure to check this when choosing which site you are going to deposit and play at.

Mobile Betting in The Philippines

The Philippines has concentrated their modern mobile networks in largely populated areas. As long as you live in, or are visiting, one of the highly populated areas of the Philippines, you should have no problems getting a strong 3G/4G signal. Both PAGCOR and the offshore operators offer mobile apps that are usable in the Philippines. These are available for both of the major smartphone platforms. The PAGCOR apps offer significantly less functionality than those offered by offshore operators.

Online Casinos

No legal online casinos are operating domestically in the Philippines at present. Filipinos are free to use any offshore online casino they wish, however. This situation is quite common in various parts of the world, where domestic regulated sites are yet to be established. While it may be somewhat inconvenient to adapt to an international platform and not one that knows the needs of a local market, the wide range of globally supported software to bet on is a plus.

Leading Sports for Betting in the Philippines

Basketball
It is effectively the National sport of the Philippines. It is popular in every part and pocket of the country, from one island to the next. The Philippine Basketball Association is as popular as the NBA amongst Filipinos. Of those who can bet, you can be sure they like to support their favourite PBA team just as much as the NBA.
Boxing
Boxing is often used as a way of keeping kids off the streets in the Philippines. Government-sponsored boxing clubs for children are very popular with school-age children. These kids dream of becoming the next Manny Pacquiao. A new generation of talented Filipino boxers is on the rise. However, boxing is not ideally supported by the domestic sportsbook MegaSportsWorld. They have a poor selection of matches and fighters, with a few features available. It’s hard to say if this is reducing the number of bets placed on boxing. As previously discussed, Filipinos can wager at any licensed, legal offshore sportsbook.
Tennis
Tennis betting has largely switched to in-play betting in recent years. This type of betting is not supported by the domestic MegaSportsWorld service. This means that most Filipinos prefer to bet on tennis at offshore sites.
Football (Soccer)
It is a popular sport amongst bettors in every nation. Filipinos like to bet on the English Premier League each season. The FIFA World Cup is always a huge source of revenue for Filipino bookmakers. Offshore betting sites receive an enormous amount of action from Filipinos as well.
Volleyball
It is very popular in the Philippines because of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The UAAP Women’s league is a popular betting market outside of the Philippines, too. William Hill in the UK has previously stated they take bets on this market from people worldwide.

The Profile of a Filipino Bettor

According to our research, Filipino sports lovers enjoy placing their bets via mobile phones and other electronic gadgets. They do not shy away from searching for advice on the significant football prediction sites in the Philippines.

People still wager on cockfighting in the rural Philippines, spider wrestling and jueteng (an illegal numbers game). Some researchers believe that spider wrestling plays a role in the inculturation of adolescent Philipinos, potentially becoming the basis of a later gambling obsession.

FAQ

Is online betting legal in the Philippines?

Only via legal regulated offshore gambling sites. PAGCOR does not operate any online gambling services in the country.

Are there any taxes for Filipino players on their winnings?

In theory, yes, but the collection of taxes is not enforced. The Philippine tax code is vague concerning gambling winnings. Officially, winnings of 10,000 PHP and below are subject to a tax rate of 10%. Anything higher than this is supposed to be taxed at 20%. There is no mechanism in place to monitor this, though. As a result, it is unsurprising that many Filipinos do not declare gambling winnings.

Can I open an account and play in Philippine Pesos?

All bets placed with state operator MegaSportsWorld are made in Philippine Pesos. When gambling with offshore sites, you are more likely to find your account opened in US Dollars. Some sites do allow you to see your balance in PHP, though. This is useful for allowing Filipinos to work out exactly how much they are betting.

Are there any betting restrictions for Filipino players?

Domestic companies don’t have permission to offer online gambling services. This limits Filipinos to offshore companies if they wish to play online.

Whilst sports betting is legal in the country, many restrictions apply. MegaSportsWorld is a fully licensed bookmaker. They operate from local betting shops in the more largely populated areas of the country. The problem is that they have very limited functionality. There is no in-play betting, accumulators, or bet builders.

Does the Philippine government monitor offshore wagers?

No, bets placed with international gambling operators have not monitored right now.

Can you bet on horse racing in the Philippines?

MegaSportWorld does not currently offer any horse racing markets on their website. The markets offered by MSW do tend to be dynamic, so perhaps horse racing was offered before.

Our Verdict

We do not recommend gambling with the state-sponsored MegaSportsWorld sportsbook. Although they have recently launched mobile gambling, the rest of their feature set is simply out of date

Still, at this time, gamblers in the Philippines can play at most of the world’s best gambling sites. And, whilst MSW is far from perfect, the Philippines is still the only country in this region of Asia with a fully regulated gambling market. Their CEZA regulator has a strong reputation and adds credibility to every site that uses it.

Filipino’s can currently play at excellent sites such as Betway, 22Bet and PNXBet. Better yet, their winnings are effectively tax-free. Great bonus offers complete a trifecta of great reasons to be a sports bettor in the Philippines right now.