All provisional and existing licenses included
The Philippine island of Boracay, recently reopened to tourists after a six-month environmental cleanup, has asked the Philippine gaming regulator to cancel all casino licenses in the market.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force made the request of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the state-run regulatory body.
The Philippine Business Mirror reported that BIATF officials want all casino licenses on Boracay cancelled, including provisional licenses for future resorts and those of casinos already in operation. If implemented, it would be bad news for Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group, which planned a US$500 million integrated resort on the island in partnership with Leisure and Resorts World Corp.
According to Business Mirror, in a letter to PAGCOR Chairwoman Andrea Domingo, BIATF officials wrote, “In view of the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that no casino shall be allowed in Boracay Island … the BIATF requests that any and all gaming franchises and/or provisional licenses in Boracay Island shall be canceled by your good office. We shall be grateful for your timely cooperation on this matter for the protection of one of our nation’s most treasured islands.”
Inside Asian Gaming reported that the cancellation would also mean the end of gaming operations at Megaworld Corp’s Savoy Hotel operations and Hotel Soffia; Movenpick Resort & Spa; the Crown Regency Resort and Convention Center; and the Paradise Garden Resort Hotel and Convention Center.
