PAGCOR slaps ₱1M fine on operator linked to Ivana Alawi iPhone giveaway

by Justine Jay Tabo

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has imposed a ₱1 million fine on a licensed online gambling operator for running an unauthorized promotional campaign featuring celebrity content creator Ivana Alawi.

​PAGCOR Chairperson Alejandro Tengco confirmed the penalty during a House Committee on Appropriations hearing regarding the state gaming regulator’s proposed 2027 budget. Tengco revealed that the operator had already paid the fine and was ordered to immediately cease the promotion.

​The regulatory crackdown follows concerns raised by Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Elijah Fernando over the proliferation of social media influencers promoting online gambling platforms.

​Fernando highlighted a July 15 video posted by Alawi in which she announced a giveaway of 100 high-end smartphones valued at over ₱4 million. To qualify for the contest, followers were instructed to like and follow the Facebook page of the online gambling brand sponsoring the promotion.

​Tengco explained that the gaming firm committed a serious violation by launching the promotional contest without securing prior approval from PAGCOR.

​“We already implemented that; they paid ₱1 million, and we instructed them to stop the said promotion,” Tengco told lawmakers. He added a stern warning that repeat infractions can lead to the suspension and, ultimately, the cancellation of their license.

​While PAGCOR maintains direct regulatory control over legal operators, Tengco admitted that the agency lacks law enforcement authority to directly prosecute individual content creators, noting that roughly 50 percent of online gambling entities in the country still operate illegally.

​To address the growing trend of influencer-led gambling endorsements, PAGCOR coordinates with enforcement bodies—including the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC)—to pursue legal actions against individuals promoting illicit platforms.

​Tengco noted that formal regulatory scrutiny has already led several high-profile influencers to cut ties with illegal operators or pivot exclusively to fully licensed platforms.