Poker With Crypto From the Philippines
Only PAGCOR-licensed platforms may take bets from residents, players must be 21, and offshore sites are illegal for the player. What it means for crypto poker.
The short answer
The Philippines allows online gambling, but only on platforms licensed by PAGCOR, and neither WePlay nor Basepoker holds a PAGCOR licence. As the Philippine law firms read it, a resident who plays on an unlicensed offshore site breaks the law, and the Cybercrime Prevention Act raises the penalty by one degree because it happens online. So the honest answer to a reader in the Philippines is: there is legal online poker here, and it is not these rooms.
Read on 31 October 2026 from the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- The regulator
- PAGCOR, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, licenses and runs gambling. A platform that takes bets from inside the Philippines needs a PAGCOR domestic electronic gaming licence.
- Age
- 21. PAGCOR's rules bar anyone under 21, and also government officials and members of the armed forces and the police.
- Offshore sites
- Illegal for residents. Presidential Decree 1602 penalises anyone who takes part in an unauthorised game of chance; the penalties for a bettor are lighter than for an operator, fines or short imprisonment, and Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175) raises them one degree when the gambling happens online.
- The POGO ban
- The offshore gaming operators that served foreign markets from the Philippines were banned by Executive Order 74 of 2024 and the POGO Ban Act, RA 12312. They are gone; licensed domestic e-games platforms serve Filipinos instead.
- Money
- Licensed platforms require a government ID and a selfie before the first deposit and withhold tax on winnings. 2025 amendments to the anti-money-laundering law let the AMLC flag transfers between local bank accounts and known illegal gambling domains.
- Crypto
- Legal, through virtual asset service providers registered with the central bank, the BSP. Buying USDT is lawful; where you send it falls under the gambling law.
Legal online gambling exists, with a licence
The Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia with a regulated online market for its own residents. PAGCOR issues domestic electronic gaming licences, and licensed platforms carry a PAGCOR seal with a licence number you can check on PAGCOR's site. Players must be 21 or older, must pass an identity check with a government ID and a live selfie before the first deposit, and have their winnings taxed at source. Disputes with a licensed operator go to PAGCOR.
Offshore operators are another matter. The POGOs, the companies that ran gambling for foreign players from offices in the Philippines, were ordered to wind down by Executive Order 74 in 2024 and banned by the POGO Ban Act, RA 12312. A site licensed in Curacao, Anjouan or Costa Rica that takes a bet from a resident of the Philippines is, in the words of the law firm Respicio and Co. in May 2026, illegal for residents.
What a player risks
Presidential Decree 1602 penalises anyone who takes part in an unauthorised game of chance, with lighter penalties for bettors than for operators: the commentaries describe fines or short terms of imprisonment without giving figures, and we will not invent them. Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 adds that a crime committed through information and communications technology carries a penalty one degree higher than the original law sets, which is why the lawyers rate online play as a larger legal risk than a card game in a back room.
The practical risk the commentaries rank first is money, not jail: PAGCOR cannot help you against an unlicensed site that refuses a withdrawal, the AMLC can flag bank transfers linked to illegal gambling domains since the 2025 amendments, and rules signed in early 2026 let the state freeze assets tied to illegal gambling operations.
What this means for a reader in the Philippines
WePlay is licensed in Anjouan and Basepoker in Costa Rica, and neither is licensed by PAGCOR. By the reading above, a resident who plays on them breaks Philippine law, whatever the deposit is made in. We write about these rooms for readers in places where that is not so, and we are not going to tell a reader in the Philippines otherwise. If you want to play poker online from the Philippines legally, the place to look is PAGCOR's list of licensed platforms, and the strategy pages here work on any room.
Time zones
The Philippines is UTC+8. WePlay's 20:30 GMT+2 starts are 02:30 the next morning in Manila; the Tonight page shows every start in your own time zone.
What runs tonight at WePlay and Basepoker, in your own time zone.
Sources
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in the Philippines?
Yes, on platforms licensed by PAGCOR, for players aged 21 and over who pass an identity check. On offshore sites without a PAGCOR licence it is not, and Presidential Decree 1602 penalises the player as well as the operator.
Are WePlay and Basepoker licensed in the Philippines?
No. WePlay is licensed in Anjouan and Basepoker in Costa Rica. Neither holds a PAGCOR licence, so by the law firms' reading a resident of the Philippines may not play on them.
What was the POGO ban?
Executive Order 74 of 2024 ordered the Philippine offshore gaming operators to wind down, and the POGO Ban Act, RA 12312, ended the category. Licensed domestic e-games platforms for Filipino players took their place.
Is crypto legal in the Philippines?
Yes. Virtual asset service providers register with the central bank, the BSP, and buying and holding USDT is lawful. What you then use it for is governed by other laws.