Payment firms will also be required to set personal limits and set reminders about gambling activity to customers to foster a responsible environment.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has unveiled new regulatory measures aimed at tightening controls on payments related to online gambling activities.
Under the new rules, payment service providers (PSPs) and online payment system operators (OPSs) will need official approval from the BSP before offering online gambling payment services.
To receive this approval, payment companies must meet strict requirements, including anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) safeguards.
A key part of these changes is the creation of a special account called an Online Gambling Transaction Account (OGTA). This account is only for gambling payments and can only be opened by users who pass stricter identity checks, such as facial recognition.
Each user can only have one OGTA, and daily transfers to it cannot surpass 20% of the user’s average daily account balance.
The BSP also wants to limit how often people can use gambling payment services. Payments will only be allowed within a six-hour window each day. If someone uses the service heavily, there must be a 24-hour pause before they can make another transfer.
Furthermore, once an OGTA is opened, any loan or credit features in the same app will be turned off.
Payment firms must also create tools which support responsible gambling. These include setting personal limits, sending reminders about gambling activity and offering users the option to pause their gambling account for a period of time, similar to an initiative launched by the Bank of Ireland in May 2025.
The BSP has given existing providers a six-month grace period to comply with these requirements. Failure to meet the standards will result in an immediate cessation of online gambling payment services until compliance is achieved.
Feedback on the circular remains welcome until the 25th July, as the country continues to evolve into a new era for its gaming framework.
Why tighten payment controls on online gambling?
The BSP’s draft rules come amid growing public and political scrutiny over the rapid growth of the Philippines’ online gambling market, as well as a push to raise regulatory standards across the country.
As part of this shift, the gambling regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has recently overhauled how it oversees the iGaming sector.
According to industry analysis by Charlie Horner for iGaming Expert, this includes the removal of illegal offshore operators, new requirements for suppliers to undergo formal accreditation and a greater focus on localising platforms for the domestic market.
For stakeholders, especially payment providers, this signals a new era of tighter supervision. As Horner explains, businesses looking to succeed in the Philippines will need to demonstrate both technical sophistication and regulatory readiness..
The BSP’s latest intervention mirrors this trend and signals the central bank’s intent to play a more active role in ensuring payment systems are not exploited.
“It is the policy of the Bangko Sentral to ensure a safe, efficient, and reliable retail payment system in the Philippines. Towards this end, it is imperative to ensure that digital payment services of PSPs are not misused for activities that are socially harmful and detrimental to financial health,” a BSP statement read.
“These regulations establish standards and expectations for PSPs in the provision of online gambling payment services as well as set the enhanced KYC measures to uphold applicable legal prohibitions on access to and participation in online gambling.”
