Philippine high rollers will soon be able to gamble remotely with some of the country’s casino resorts as part of the Philippines’ efforts to offset at least a portion of the revenue losses caused by the closure of land-based gambling venues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Three integrated resorts located in Manila’s Entertainment City precinct were among the first properties to have been given the green light to offer online gambling. The Chair of the Philippines’ gambling regulator PAGCOR, Andrea Domingo, said this week that Solaire Resort & Casino, Okada Manila, and City of Dreams Manila will all be offering iGaming services to their Philippine VIP patrons.
These three and other casino resorts in the country will conduct online gambling activities exclusively for Philippine high rollers under so-called Philippine Inland Gaming Operator (PIGO) licenses.
PIGO permits should not be mistaken with POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) licenses which authorize their holders to provide gambling services to players overseas. The Philippines’ thriving POGO sector has recently been under heavy scrutiny from China as part of a mainland clampdown on Chinese residents engaging in online gambling, an activity that is banned in China.
Ms. Domingo said that PIGO services are exclusively aimed at VIP players who are already on PAGCOR’s player database. Philippine casino operators are only allowed to offer online gambling services to residents of the country.
