Measure may have been prompted by June 2 attack
The head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. is alarmed by a bill that would mandate casino entry fees in the country.
“If the PHP3,000 (US$61) would be imposed as an entrance fee, it would wipe out the whole mass market,” said PAGCOR Chairwoman Andrea Domingo. “It will have a negative effect, and we hope Congress would be listening to all those affected.”
The bill was submitted by Rep. Rodolfo Albano of the Philippine House of Representatives, who wants the entry fee introduced at casinos and gaming establishments around the country, reported GGRAsia. The fee is intended to ensure that the “person entering any and all casinos has the financial resources to engage in any form of gambling,” according to local news reports.
The push to limit casino access by locals may have heightened in the wake of the June 2 attack at Resorts World Manila that killed dozens of casino patrons and employees. The attacker, Jessie Javier Carlos, has been described as a problem gambler with heavy debts; he entered the casino in Entertainment City, attempted to steal some gaming chips, and then set fires to a number of gaming tables. The victims were killed not by gunfire but smoke inhalation. Carlos later killed himself on the scene.
Investment banking group Morgan Stanley agrees with Domingo, and said in a note that an entry levy, if implemented, could hurt Philippine casino revenue by deterring “grind mass and family customers.”
“Filipino gamblers view gambling more as an entertainment compared to Chinese gamblers in Macau,” said Morgan Stanley analysts Alex Poon and Praveen Choudhary.
