Travel to and from Manila has been suspended until April 14 due to the coronavirus outbreak, and people from countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases are barred from entering the country. And even the online POGOs got the axe.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, the Philippines will also enforce “stringent social distancing” in the Metro Manila area, including a ban on mass gatherings.
In an address to the nation on March 12, President Rodrigo Duterte said the nation is under a “Code Red, Sublevel 2” alert, the highest level.
Duterte said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces (AFP) will maintain order but added that the country is not under martial law. “Don’t be afraid of the PNP and AFP—they are there to help you,” he said.
IAG reported that the announcement has called into question the feasibility of gaming industry exhibitions and conferences planned for the coming months, including ICE Asia/SiGMA Manila in June, and PAGE and ASEAN in late July. ASEAN has already been delayed once from March to July and is facing a second delay.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has donated PHP2 billion (US$39 million) to help fund efforts to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The month-long suspension of gaming operations in Metro Manila later was extended to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), said the regulator, after initially exempting them. Those companies, offering gambling services aimed at overseas players, initially were permitted to have a “minimum number of workers” in their workplaces, but were later ordered to stay at home.
Meanwhile, Andrea Domingo, chairwoman and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., says the state-run gaming regulator expects PHP290 billion (US$5.6 billion) in gross gaming revenues from the country’s online and land-based gaming industries.
This target would mark an 11.5 percent increase in GGR from the PHP260 billion in total revenues for 2019. However, according to the Philippine Inquirer, Domingo said the projections were set before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. So far, 40 overseas junket groups, primarily from China, have cancelled high-roller trips to the Philippines.
Nevertheless, Domingo contends that PAGCOR will see an uptick in revenues this year. She said the agency could pull in as much as PHP95 billion in 2020, up 18 percent over 2019.
“Again, we haven’t factored in the effects of Covid-19 in this year’s target yet, so we’ll have to see,” Domingo said. “But, so far, it looks good.”
