Suspended “while the market matures”
The Philippines’ state-run gaming regulator has called for a moratorium on new casinos in a move that was effective last month.
According to Asia Gaming Brief, Andrea Domingo, chairwoman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., said any firms that submitted applications after that date would not be considered for approval on order from President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The president told me last January 11 to freeze the entry of new casinos because there are already many of them, and there are more wanting to apply,” Domingo said during the ICE Totally Gaming show in London. “We’re just processing now the applications we received before the president ordered the moratorium.”
Domingo said Duterte, who has been indecisive about his stance on gaming, now is concerned about the “proliferation” of casinos in the country. “As of January 13, we’ve stopped accepting applications.”
There are currently four PAGCOR-approved casinos in Entertainment City, including Solaire Resort & Casino, Okada Manila, Resorts World Manila and City of Dreams Manila.
Three new casino licensees in Cebu include Dennis Uy’s Emerald Casino; the Millenium Casino, a project of Hong Kong-based Asian Gaming Group; and the Universal Casino by the Gokongwei Group. An additional eight operations are located on Boracay Island and Clark, Pampanga, though two of those eight are not currently operations, the Philippine Inquirer reports.
“We’re stopping licenses and we’ll let the market mature first,” Domingo said, adding that Clark could become an alternative to Las Vegas due to the existing airport and a planned high-speed train to Manila.
