JILIEVO and the Internet Gaming Licensee: What Executive Order No. 74 Ended
An Internet Gaming Licensee was a business-to-consumer licensee catering exclusively to foreign players outside the Philippines.
Key facts and contents
- JILIEVO and the Curacao Gaming Control Board
- The Curacao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is the earlier name of the regulator now referred to as the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA).
- JILIEVO Curacao License Check
- Copy the company name from a lobby's Terms, open the CGA license register, search the Online gaming licenses document, read the seven columns, then search the enforcement register.
- JILIEVO Explains the Curacao LOK
- The Curacao LOK is the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de kansspelen), in effect since 24 December 2024.
PAGCOR once licensed a category of operator called the Internet Gaming Licensee, abbreviated IGL, and that category was ended by order of the President. The text of Executive Order No. 74, signed on November 5, 2024, defines the term, bars new licences and renewals, and sets a final date. This page quotes the order and sits under our Curacao casino license primer on the regulator, because the same words turn up whenever a Curaçao-based operator’s license is discussed in the Philippines.
Internet Gaming Licensee: the order’s own definition
Section 1 of the order says Internet Gaming Licensees “refer to business-to-consumer licensees whether Philippine- or Foreign-based, catering exclusively to offshore-based/foreign players”. Their products were “limited to livestreamed e-casino games, online RNG games, and online sports betting”. The definition also covers a local gaming agent of a foreign-based licensee, and Authorized Gaming Content Providers or Authorized Support Providers organized in the Philippines.
| Term in the order | Meaning, as the order words it |
|---|---|
| POGO | Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators: licensees, gaming agents and service providers |
| IGL | Business-to-consumer licensees catering exclusively to foreign players |
| Other Offshore Gaming Licensees | Licensees of special economic zone, tourism zone or freeport authorities |
Offshore gaming means foreign players outside the Philippines
The order defines Offshore Gaming Operations as online games of chance “exclusively and directly offered to foreign players, located outside of the Philippines, via the internet or online means”. It excludes online games of chance conducted in PAGCOR-operated casinos, licensed casinos, or integrated resorts with junket agreements. EO 74 therefore concerns operations offered to foreign players outside the Philippines. It does not describe a ban on a Filipino player’s own account.
PAGCOR IGL: what Section 2 orders
The order’s title speaks of the “immediate ban” of offshore gaming, internet gaming and other offshore gaming operations in the Philippines. Section 2 breaks that ban into four parts.
- Illegal offshore gaming operations: those without the necessary licence, permit or authorization “are classified as illegal gambling entities”.
- License applications: applications for new licences, permits or authorizations “shall no longer be allowed”.
- License renewals: existing licences, permits or authorizations “shall no longer be renewed or extended”.
- Cessation of operations: licensed operators “shall completely cease operations, including the winding up of their affairs, on 31 December 2024 or earlier”.
Dates and signatories
The order is dated November 5, 2024 and signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. Its recitals note that an unequivocal ban was pronounced in the State of the National Address on 22 July 2024, and its Section 13 makes it effective immediately after publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. The final cessation date of 31 December 2024 is the one to remember.
| Item | What the order says |
|---|---|
| Order date | November 5, 2024 |
| New licences | No longer allowed |
| Renewals | No longer renewed or extended |
| Cessation | 31 December 2024 or earlier |
What stays regulated: PAGCOR’s local lists
PAGCOR continues to regulate local gaming. Its Electronic Gaming Licensing Department regulates local e-gaming operations and publishes the list of accredited Gaming System Administrators with their registered brands and domain names. That list is the place to read what is registered for operation in the Philippines.
A Curaçao register entry is a different record from a PAGCOR list entry, and each regulator’s own list answers only for itself. For the Curaçao side, see the Curacao license check steps for reading the CGA register and the Curacao LOK explainer on the law behind that register.
FAQ
What was an Internet Gaming Licensee?
Executive Order No. 74 defines Internet Gaming Licensees as business-to-consumer licensees, Philippine- or foreign-based, catering exclusively to offshore-based or foreign players. They offered livestreamed e-casino games, online RNG games and online sports betting.
Does Executive Order No. 74 ban Filipino players from online casinos?
No. It concerns offshore gaming operations offered exclusively to foreign players located outside the Philippines. Read the order's text for the definitions, and PAGCOR's own list for what is registered for local operation.
What date did operations have to stop?
Section 2(d) says all POGOs and IGLs with issued licences, permits or authorizations shall completely cease operations, including the winding up of their affairs, on 31 December 2024 or earlier.