Philippine gambling revenue to hit record US$6 billion this year, despite Pogo crackdown
This year’s record revenue comes despite a crackdown on offshore gambling operators, known as Pogos, which have been linked to criminal activity
The Philippine gambling industry’s revenue is projected to reach a record of more than 350 billion pesos (US$6.03 billion) this year, driven by growth in the electronic gaming sector, the head of the country’s gaming regulator said on Tuesday.
The forecast surpasses the target of 334 billion pesos set by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) and represents a significant increase from the previous year’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 285 billion pesos.
“Our GGR for the year, I think it’s over 350 billion pesos,” Pagcor Chairman Alejandro Tengco told reporters. GGR is a key industry metric that reflects the total amount wagered by players minus their winnings.
A boost in the revenues of Pagcor, which is directly under the office of the Philippine president, bodes well for the Southeast Asian country because the bulk of its earnings form part of the national budget.
Manila’s gambling scene, which features a smaller version of Las Vegas’s amusement strip with integrated casino resorts owned by companies like Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, continues to attract high rollers from China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries.
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Tengco also announced that Pagcor is on track to revoke all licences of offshore gambling firms by year-end in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jnr’s July directive banning Philippine offshore gambling operators, or Pogos.
