The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has clarified that the National Database of Restricted Persons (NDRP), which was recently linked to a hacking incident, does not serve as a registry of gambling addicts.
In a statement, the regulator explained that the NDRP functions as a reference list of individuals legally prohibited from gambling. The entries include government officials, people who voluntarily requested self-exclusion, and persons denylisted by licensed operators. PAGCOR stressed that the database is not designed to identify or track addiction cases.
Ma. Vina Claudette Oca, Assistant Vice President for Gaming Licensing and Development, reported that the current list contains more than 560,000 names. Most of these came from the Department of the Interior and Local Government. This list consists primarily of elected officials who cannot enter gambling establishments under Philippine law.
She also highlighted that 1,711 individuals appear in the database following exclusion requests submitted by themselves, their families, or licensed operators. However, Oca emphasized that such entries do not automatically mean the individuals suffer from gambling addiction. Instead, it indicates that they or their families wanted to limit access for personal reasons.
PAGCOR further addressed concerns about the recent data breach. The regulator said the incident did not originate from its official website or systems. Instead, it believes that a licensed operator, which had legitimate access to the NDRP for screening purposes, was the source of the compromised data.
The agency issued the clarification after speculation spread online suggesting that hackers had accessed a nationwide list of gambling addicts. PAGCOR underscored that these claims were inaccurate and misleading, urging the public to verify information only through its official communications.
