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Philippines – PAGCOR limits casino development in Manila but opens door to Cebu

By - 22 March 2017

PAGCOR (The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) has put a five year ban on any new Integrated Resort casinos in Manila Bay’s Entertainment City.

It has though given its blessing to the development of a US$500m casino resort in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island.

The five-year moratorium on new casinos in Metro Manila has come following a letter requesting exactly that from the four existing licensees.

PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo confirmed: “In the Manila area, we listened to our investors. They gave us a position paper to give breathing space for the market space to mature in the NCR (National Capital Region) so we listened. We are looking at protecting those who have taken a risk earlier, who have invested a lot of money. We listen to our investors. They asked us to give a five-year breathing space. We don’t want too much proliferation of casinos.”

She was speaking at the inaugural ASEAN Gaming Summit, organised by Asia Gaming Brief and held at Conrad hotel in Pasay City, where she revealed that the latest approval was in Lapu-Lapu City in Central Visayas, in Metro Cebu.

Ms Domingo added: “We approved a new license at Mactan Island, a US$500m complex in Lapu-Lapu City. They are going to start construction soon. Cebu is the second largest metropolis in our country.”
It would be the country’s first integrated gambling resort located outside of the Manila capital.
She didn’t name the Filipino company licensed to operate the Lapu-Lapu City Casino but did add that another application has been lodged for a $300m casino complex in nearby Mandaue City.

“We have one also pending in Mandaue, Cebu City, but I think one complex per big city, or one per province, is enough. We do not operate anywhere where the LGU has not expressly agreed in writing that they are going to host a casino in their place.”

As well as Cebu, Ms Domingo revealed that casino gambling will be introduced in the province of Pampanga where South Korean construction company Donggwang Construction will build the $400m Clark SunValley Resorts and Country Club at the Clark Freeport Zone.

Ms Domingo added that PAGCOR expects GGR in the Philippines to increase by 30 per cent in 2017.
“Our forecast for the whole year for all properties including the private ones is about P155bn to P160bn,” she explained. “I can say with a lot of confidence that the Philippines is one of the best places to invest now because it’s safer than ever.”

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