Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation President Alfredo Lim said that the regulator approved online casino operations. However, he declined to give more details about their plans.
The PAGCOR president also didn’t state if they will allow Filipinos to play on online casinos. At present, the Philippines already has a booming online gambling industry. However, the operators can’t offer their services to locals. Thus, online operators focus on attracting customers from mainland China.
According to bookie software reports, PAGCOR was planning to allow casinos to offer online gambling. However, it would be available to known players only. Also, there are some hurdles to their plan.
Regulator Approved Online Casino Operations
PAGCOR might be offering online services to regular high-rollers. Also, it would probably take in the form of proxy betting. According to pay per head sportsbook experts, proxy betting is where a player can play in real-time on a table game from a remote location via a proxy who would place their wagers.
Macau doesn’t allow proxy betting. Thus, it would benefit casinos in the Philippines. Online casinos can thrive by targeting rich Chinese players. However, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte might not allow online casinos to offer their services to locals.
According to pay per head sources, President Duterte closed down PhilWeb, the largest online gaming operator in the country. The company had around 300 internet gaming sites at the time of its closure.
PAGCOR owns and operates most casinos in the Philippines. However, most private casinos are integrated resorts found in Entertainment City. However, City of Dreams Manila, Solaire, and Okada Manila have been operating at 30 percent capacity since the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
In the second quarter, casinos had a 95.7 percent decline in revenues. Their gross gaming revenue was $46.8 million, which was down from $1.08 billion from the same quarter in 2019.
