The Accor International Group, a French hotelier, broke ground on its $300 million casino project in Subic Bay, the Philippines.
Accor is one of the largest hotel groups in the world, with more than 40 hotel brands, 5,600 hotel locations, and 822k rooms in 110 countries. The new Subic Bay casino will be the group’s first casino in Southeast Asia.
The new casino will be located just a short walk from the Subic Bay Yacht Club and just three minutes from the beach. Eventually, the casino project will host two hotels with 425 rooms and will open in two phases.
Phase one will see the opening of the Ibis Styles Hotel, which will feature a swimming pool, gym, and meeting space. Phase two will see the opening of the Mercure Hotel, which will feature a resort pool with a swim-up bar and additional convention facilities.
Subic Bay is located in the Special Economic and Freeport Zone, about a two-hour drive from Metro Manila. It was the US Armed Forces’ largest overseas military installation until it was decommissioned in 1992.
There are currently two casinos located in Subic Bay, both regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The new casino and phase one of the project are expected to open in 2025, and phase two is expected to be completed by 2026.
PAGCOR Regulation & Ownership
PD 1067-a, an amendment to the constitution in 1977, created the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). Under then-President Ferdinand Marcos, PAGCOR was tasked with regulating the gambling industry in the Philippines.
Today, PAGCOR is still the country’s gaming regulator, but it also owns 44 casino locations. The gaming regulator has pledged to sell its owned casinos to privatize the industry by 2026.
Online Casinos In The Philippines
Legal online casinos in the Philippines operate from outside the country, as current gambling laws forbid brick-and-mortar casinos from offering their services online. While PAGCOR does issue offshore gaming licensing (POGO), those license holders are only allowed to offer their services to other countries and not the Philippines.
Despite the restrictions on local casinos, online casinos from trusted sources thrive in the Philippines by offering their account holders blackjack, video poker, baccarat, roulette, and many more gameplay options. To make things easier for PH players, we review many casino sites that offer crypto deposits/withdrawals, welcome bonuses, reward programs, and more.