Philippines President could lift moratorium on new casinos

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte may lift the moratorium on the establishment of new casinos in the Philippines, Malacañan Palace said last Thursday.

This comes after Duterte, during his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22, encouraged Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairperson Andrea Domingo to foster more gaming activities in the country.

Asked if Duterte is now open to lifting the moratorium on new casinos, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said: “That would be the logical consequence of what he said," according to the SunStar Philippines.

In February 2018, the President ordered the freezing of issuance of licenses for new casinos, as he raised worry about their proliferation. But in his latest Sona, the President commended Domingo for delivering PHP 16 billion (USD 313 million) in revenues to state coffers as of July 2019. In May this year, Pagcor announced that it remitted a record dividend of PHP 16.17 billion to the National Treasury.

At present, there are four Pagcor-approved casino licenses for firms located in the regulator’s Entertainment City complex in Parañaque City— Solaire Resort and Casino, City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila and Resorts World Manila Casino.