Integrated resorts and casinos drive local tourism growth, says PAGCOR
Only 7.5% of the space in integrated resorts can be allocated to gaming under PAGCOR regulation.
Integrated resorts and casinos remain one of the biggest drivers of local tourism growth in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
During the first Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit, held at the New World Makati Hotel, PAGCOR Assistant VP for Gaming Licensing and Development Department Ma. Vina Claudette Oca emphasised this point.
During her appearance as a panelist on ‘Navigating Challenges and Opportunities for Casino Hotels in the Philippines,’ Oca pointed out that PAGCOR only allows integrated resorts “to allocate 7.5% of their facility’s total floor area to gaming,” and that “the rest of the floor area is allocated for non-gaming facilities such as hotel rooms, retail areas, dining and other attractions.”
As such, integrated casinos are able to generate revenue through a range of methods, with a large variety of staff employed to complete these roles. In fact, according to Oca, 20,000 Filipinos are employed at integrated casinos.
Moreover, Oca stated that almost 80% of PAGCOR’s revenue from regulated gaming is remitted to the nation’s government and is used to fund socio-civic projects. Previous examples of this can be seen with its Bawat Buhay Mahalaga Serbisyo Caravan community aid event and funded school building in Tarlac in December.
In other recent news from the Phillippines, Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been expelled from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) due to suspected ties to illegal POGOs and human trafficking charges.
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