PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco (3rd from left) and ASC Chairperson Golda Roldan (2nd from left) lead the signing of the memorandum of understanding formalizing PAGCOR and ASC’s partnership to promote responsible gambling advertisements on Wednesday (July 16, 2025). With them are PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for Gaming Licensing and Development Ma. Vina Claudette Oca (extreme right) and ASC President Anna Locsin (extreme left). (Photo from PAGCOR)
In a decisive move to rein in the spread of gambling-related advertisements, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has partnered with the Ad Standards Council (ASC) to implement stricter oversight of all promotional content from the gaming industry.
On Wednesday, both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that officially brings gambling advertisements under the ASC’s “must-screen” classification, joining other tightly regulated content categories such as alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, and infant formula.
The signing ceremony was held at PAGCOR’s corporate headquarters in Pasay City, with PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco and ASC chairperson Golda Roldan leading the event. The agreement marks a significant shift in how gambling promotions will be handled moving forward.
“This partnership has been in the works for nearly a year,” Tengco said. “We’re now putting our words into action by institutionalizing a clear framework to ensure all gambling ads are responsible, transparent, and appropriate.”
Under the new rules, gambling-related promotional materials—including those on television, radio, digital platforms, and outdoor spaces—must be vetted and approved by the ASC before they are made public. The goal is to minimize misleading content and shield vulnerable populations, particularly minors and at-risk individuals, from the influence of excessive or irresponsible marketing.
For the ASC, the agreement represents an extension of its mandate to enforce ethical standards in advertising—especially in industries where public health and welfare are at stake.
“Messages from the gambling sector must be crafted with extra care,” said Roldan. “We are proud to join PAGCOR in making sure that Filipino consumers are not only informed, but protected.”
The MOU comes on the heels of PAGCOR’s recent directive banning gambling-related billboards and transit ads. As part of this push, licensees were given until August 15 to dismantle all out-of-home gambling advertisements, including those placed on buses, jeepneys, taxis, and train systems.
The collaborative initiative signals a tougher stance on gambling promotion in the Philippines, aligning regulatory practice with growing public concern over its influence on families and communities. With this new safeguard in place, PAGCOR and ASC hope to balance industry growth with public accountability and consumer protection.