Reports THE PHILIPPINES MARKET
(Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations). Aside from regulating the industry PAGCOR can also operate its own casinos. Tings began to change in the Philippines in 2008 when the Arroyo government opened up the country’s gambling market to the world removing PAGCOR’s monopoly.
Tis led to the boom of integrated resort facilities built to compete with those in neighbouring Macau, Malaysia and Singapore. It was a decision which paid off and revenues have grown considerably.
Today PAGCOR operates 12 casinos in three of the major islands. Te Casino Filipino brand includes:
Metro Manila: Casino Filipino Malate and Casino Filipino Winford. Casino Filipino Winford, is a satellite casino in Manila which was given approval in August last year to be converted into a casino branch.
Luzon: Casino Filipino Angeles, Casino Olongapo, Casino Filipino Ilocos Norte, Casino Filipino Tagaytay and Casino Filipino Mimosa.
Visayas and Mindanao: Casino Filipino Bacolod, Casino Filipino Cebu, Casino Filipino Davao, Casino Filipino Iloilo and Casino Filipino Mactan.
In 2019 Casino Filipino saw P12.59bn in revenues from table game operations whilst the slot machines posted P16.52bn in GGR.
PAGCOR also operates 33 satellite casinos in the major three islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
PAGCOR’s income is distributed with five per cent of winnings going to the BIR as franchise tax; 50 per cent of the balance goes to the National Treasury; five per cent of the balance then goes to the Sports Commission and one per cent of the net income goes to the Board of Claims. Cities hosting PAGCOR casinos also receive a fixed amount for community projects.
In 2019 the total industry GGR was P256.49bn which includes PAGCOR’s own operations (P75.75bn) and its licensed casinos via Entertainment City, Fiesta and Clark (P181.3bn). Te first quarter of 2020 saw a GGR of P52.9bn and the second quarter P2.42bn.
PAGCOR’s own GGR of P75.75bn was not as high as 2018’s record breaking P104.12bn however this high figure was fuelled that year by PAGCOR’s sale of land in Entertainment City to Bloomberry Resorts Corporation. Actual gaming revenues in 2018 amounted to P67.85bn.
It handed over P56bn to the government through its mandated contributions with the lion’s share (P35.92bn) going to the National Treasury.
P72 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
POGO Online gambling operations have essentially
been up and running in the Philippines since the early 2000s. However, PAGCOR took steps to enforce stricter regulations and took over the licensing in late 2016 after Duterte came into power and he ‘tided’ up the sector and closed down the PhilWeb Corporation. Te aim was to legitimise online gambling and wipe out illegal online hubs. And so, POGO was introduced – Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations – providing online gambling to foreign players only, based in another country, with an age limit of 21 years.
Te Rules and Regulations for POGO were issued in August 2016. Te Offshore Gaming Licensing Department (OGLD) was set up and a year later gambling regulators PAGCOR, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA),
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon currently says privatisation is preferred rather than imposing higher or new taxes next year and has been backed by Finance Minister Carlos Dominguez who wants to privatise PAGCOR and transfer small town lottery to private operators. Drilon says the government could collect around P300bn in additional revenue annually by privatising the gaming industry. With funding urgently required it’s a hot topic. Plus, many feel that PAGCOR is juggling too many balls to function correctly.
Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) and Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) were given the authority to issue Offshore Gaming Licences (OGL) to operate online gambling activities.
Foreign based operators may also apply with certain requirements, such as a local gaming agent and authorised capital stock of P15m equivalent. OGLs are valid for three years renewable and there are three types licences:
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e-casino – operation of live casino games or RNG based games.
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Sports betting – wagers on sporting events except non-professional sports in the Philippines such as amateur games, municipal games or those listed by PAGCOR.
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Sports betting or Regulated Wagering Events – wagers on gaming events regulated by other jurisdictions proving live coverage from an event such as horse or dog races, licensed cockfighting events.
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