The Philippines’ gambling market remains a shadow of its former glories, while locally licensed online gambling activity apparently remains a state secret. 

Figures released this week by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) show the local gaming sector generated gross revenue of P17.66b (US$367m) in the three months ending September 30, barely one-quarter of the P65.4b generated in the same period last year.

However, the Q3 2020 sum is a significant improvement from the P2.4b the market generated in the three months ending June 30, a period in which nearly all gambling operations – both land-based and online – were closed due to the local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

PAGCOR became increasingly stingy with its statistics as the pandemic took hold, but the Q3 report represents a new nadir. Unlike the year’s first two quarterly reports, the regulator didn’t even provide year-to-date totals this time. Instead, the Q3 figures are simply replicated in the ‘total’ column. Insightful, it ain’t.