Last week, we told you about the arrest of Suncity Group’s Alvin Chau in Macau. Chau, accused of illegally funneling Chinese gamblers to online operations (allegedly – at least in part – to Philippine POGOs), has resigned from all posts within Suncity, but questions remain as to the overall fallout from the scandal. While these … Read more
Last Sunday, Philippines Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon suggested that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) should be sold off to create revenue to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The request from Drilon demonstrates how dire the COVID-19 situation is in the Philippines, as the entity ranks third behind revenue and customs on … Read more
This week, the Chinese government announced a new initiative aimed at policing the country’s illegal gambling market. This is, at least publicly, something of a 180 from the nation’s stance in the last several months, where it implored the Duterte Administration to bar all online gaming in the Philippines. With Duterte et al. having none … Read more
It’s been a reasonably quiet week in the Philippines gambling market, for a change. However, thanks to the ongoing row between China and the Philippines due to the latter’s controversial POGO industry, developments in competing markets – especially those in China – are of much interest to Filipino casino insiders. Just this week, the China … Read more
The Philippine gambling industry can’t seem to catch a break. Despite record profits and a concerted effort to crack down on tax-dodging POGOs and commercial brick-and-mortar casinos, critics are still pushing the narrative that the industry is a magnet for fraudsters and violent criminals. The South China Morning Post’s most recent report on the subject … Read more
There is seemingly no end to the various “controversies” around the domestic Philippines gambling industry. Usually, the issues of import arise from the tenuous, Chinese-dominated POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) market, but the local casino markets have also been in the spotlight of late. First, many local politicians suggested that the state-run casinos in the … Read more
2019 has been an adventurous – if not tumultuous year – for the Philippine gambling industry. Between admonishments from neighboring China and the influx of migrants to President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on tax-evading Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and the local government’s questioning of the state-owned brick-and-mortar casino model, the market – while profitable – … Read more
For the last several months, tensions have flared between China and the Philippines, with the former asking the latter to halt its online casino industry. Calls from inside the Philippines also supported a groundswell of change to the Filipino gambling community, with various lawmakers seeking to privatize and tax state-owned casinos. While neither initiative seems … Read more
After Vice Mayor of Quezon City attempted to restrict casino gaming, gambling regulator PAGCOR stepped in. Vice Mayor of Quezon City Joy Belmonte attempted to enact an ordinance which would charge residents a fee of PHP1,500 to enter a soon to be built casino within the city, as well as, fees for online gaming. However, … Read more
Clark City to see more extensive investments and growth thanks to a new Executive Order, but why now? On June 4th, President Rodrigo Duterte signed an Executive Order declaring the Clark Industrial Estate (IE5) as an international center for leisure, commerce, industry, and recreation rather than its previous designation as a logistics district. The Executive … Read more