On May 9, Philippine voters will choose a new president. According to gaming analyst Andrew Klebanow, at least three of the five candidates will likely support the country’s gaming industry. Current President Rodrigo Duterte began his term as a rabid opponent of gambling, both online and land-based, but reversed his position several times to generate revenues and also speed the recovery from Covid-19.
In an interview with Asia Gaming Brief, Klebanow ran down the list of candidates including the frontrunner, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator. Familiarly known as Bongbong, Marcos is running with Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, once considered a potential candidate herself.
“Bongbong Marcos represents the establishment, and establishment politicians tend to support established industries,” said Klebanow, founder of the consultancy C3 Gaming. “He is probably the most pro-business and pro-gambling candidate in the presidential field.”
Current Vice President Leni Robredo “is the opposite of what Duterte stood for,” Klebanow continued. “I do not see her reacting negatively to foreign investment, particularly if that investment involved bricks-and-mortar casinos.”
Former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao “is intelligent and a seasoned politician,” Klebanow said. “He understands the importance of gaming on the economy.”
The remaining candidates are Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief known as Super Cop, who also ran for election in 2004 and who is running on an anti-corruption ticket, and Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagaso, a former teen idol and now mayor of Manila. According to NPR, Moreno says he’ll focus on resuscitating the economy, which suggests he may support a moneymaking national industry.
In a Pulse Asia poll last month, the Marcos ticket got 53 percent of the vote, far ahead of Robredo, who came in with 20 percent. The other candidates polled at 8 percent and below.
