Responsible gaming: keep play within a limit

Who may not gamble

PAGCOR’s responsible gaming page lists the people who are prohibited from playing in gaming establishments and on online gaming platforms:

• Persons under 21 years of age.
• Government officials and employees, and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
• Persons included in the National Database of Restricted Persons.
• Employees of licensees and holders of a Gaming Employment License.

Stop signs

• Using money needed for essentials
• Trying to recover a loss
• Playing longer than planned
• Hiding the activity from people close to you

PAGCOR describes the same pattern: spending or betting more than you meant to, gambling for longer than you planned, trying again and again to win back losses, and borrowing or selling belongings to keep going.

Practical limits

1. Set a fixed amount
2. Set a stopping time
3. Take breaks
4. Stop when either limit is reached

PAGCOR’s own reminders are short: gambling is not a source of income, set time limits for each session, never borrow money or use all of your resources for gambling, and do not chase your losses.

Self-exclusion

PAGCOR runs an Online Self-Exclusion Application Portal at osea.pagcor.ph. A spouse, child or parent of someone who needs help can also apply to have that person excluded; PAGCOR publishes the family exclusion form on its responsible gaming page.

GZone88 holds no accounts, so it cannot set a limit or exclude anyone. Deposit limits, session reminders and cool-off tools sit inside the operator’s own app. Our GameZone limits guide describes where such tools usually are.

Where to get help

PAGCOR lists these accredited help centres:

• National Problem Gambling Helpline (NPGH) (02) 8248 9568 npgh.ph A joint project of PAGCOR and Seagulls Flock Organization. Its website describes the service as confidential, free and available 24/7.
• Seagull’s Flock seagullsflock.org
• Bridges of Hope Drugs and Alcohol Rehabilitation Foundation 0917 509 8826 bridgesofhope.com.ph
• Gamblers Anonymous Philippines 0915 938 2808
• Gam-Anon Philippines gam-anonphilippines.org
• Life Change Recovery Center 105 Scout Rallos St., Kamuning, Quezon City.
• Milestone Health and Wellness Center 58 Paterno St., South Drive, Baguio City.

The helpline is not an emergency service. Its website directs anyone in immediate danger or a mental health crisis to emergency services or the National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 1553 or 1800-1888-1553.

Names, numbers and addresses are as PAGCOR and npgh.ph published them on 6 October 2026.

Online play: warning signs that are easy to miss

Online gaming removes the natural breaks of a physical venue — no closing time, no walk to the cashier — so problems can grow quietly. Watch for topping up from your e-wallet more than once in a session, keeping accounts on several sites so no single balance looks large, or using e-wallet credit or loan features to fund play. Any of those is a reason to set a hard deposit limit or a cool-off today rather than next payday.

If you are worried about someone else, the National Problem Gambling Helpline also supports family members, and PAGCOR’s family exclusion form described above is an option when talking has not worked.