Philippines gaming regulator PAGCOR has promised to adhere to President Rodrigo Duterte’s insistence that no new casinos are to be built anywhere in the country, stating it will temporarily stop issuing provisional or permanent licenses.
The move comes after Duterte rallied against the two most recent provisional licenses to be issued – the first to Galaxy Entertainment group for its proposed US$500 million IR in Boracay and the second to Landing International Development for its US$1.5 billion NayonLanding IR in Manila.
PAGCOR has now released a statement to local media.
“As a regulator, PAGCOR is duty bound to ensure that all-gaming related regulations are adhered to, balancing the responsibility of increase badly-needed revenues for the government and safeguarding the best interest of the Filipino people,” it said.
Duterte said in a speech at the League of Municipalities Visayas Island Cluster conference in Cebu on Tuesday that, “I will not allow gambling. I’m not issuing any franchise for gambling in the entire Philippines now. It’s a moratorium … I hate gambling.”
He added, “Those already there, they enjoy it because you will not have it in other places. No more gambling. Just work. But if there are resorts and they still talk about gambling, you better say it to them at an early time. No more gambling.”