Andrea Domingo, chairwoman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has been quoted in several publications as saying that three integrated resorts (IRs) in Manila have started online play for table games and slots.
The comments were originally reported by the Philippine Star. According to the newspaper, it’s unclear if live-dealer games are also on offer.
Domingo said Resorts World Manila, run by Travellers International Hotel Group Ltd; Okada Manila, run by a unit of Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp.; and Solaire Resort and Casino, run by Bloomberry Resorts Corp. all are running “online table games and slot machines.”
At an online forum in December, Domingo said the three resorts all had been approved to offer online gaming to domestic players via their premises using a new license for Philippine Inland Gaming Operators, or PIGOs, reported GGRAsia. The new industry has proceeded despite warnings from mainland China that any jurisdictions that targets Chinese for “cross-border gambling” be blacklisted as tourism destinations.
Okada Manila’s operating entity, Tiger Resort, Leisure & Entertainment Inc. (TRLEI) confirmed last month that it had been approved for “online gaming for table games and electric gaming machines.”
TRLEI said it was “the first among the four integrated resorts comprising Entertainment City in Metro Manila” to be granted permission to start online gaming operations.
Under the PIGO program, online gambling is available only to existing registered members.
Domingo said she’s appealed to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to allow casinos to reopen as Covid-19 restrictions are eased. For the first quarter, PAGCOR reported a 49.1 percent revenue decline and a decline in profits of 79.1 percent.
