PAGCOR privatization of 43 casinos targeted by 2026

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has begun work on legislation to privatize its 43 casinos, chairman Al Tengco said, with a target of completing the sale of Casino Filipino by 2026. Tengco has formed a committee to draft a proposed bill for Congress, because the PAGCOR charter must be amended before privatization can proceed¹.

The sale of PAGCOR's casinos is expected to generate no less than P80 billion, and the amendments would include extending PAGCOR's franchise¹. Tengco said the agency is holding town hall meetings at Casino Filipino branches and satellites to explain the plan to employees and reassure them their rights will be protected. As happened at NAIA, it is likely that whoever buys the branches will retain up to 70 percent of employees, while others receive retirement packages, and many workers will remain in PAGCOR's regulatory, enforcement, monitoring and electronic gaming licensing units¹.

The last effort in Congress to privatize PAGCOR was SB 1471, sponsored by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, which sought to promote a level playing field, avoid conflicts of interest and focus PAGCOR on its regulatory role, including authority over online gaming sites, while protecting minors and problem gamblers and guarding against money laundering and terrorist financing¹.

PAGCOR-operated casinos are a small part of the market. From January to September, PAGCOR recorded P299.83 billion in gross gaming revenues for the Philippine gaming industry including offshore gaming. PAGCOR-operated casinos generated P12.53 billion, or 4.18 percent of industry GGR¹.

PAGCOR reported total revenue of P79.43 billion for the first nine months of 2024, 41.97 percent higher than the P55.95 billion recorded a year earlier. Electronic games contributed P28.22 billion and licensed casinos P24.50 billion¹.

Tengco also said there are no ifs or buts on the banning of POGOs after Dec. 31. He said the exit is not a big loss: POGO licensees and service providers fell from 298 when he started as chairman to 41, while revenues from the remaining licensees nearly doubled to P5 billion from P2.9 billion¹.

What it means for players

Casino Filipino branches are government-run venues, and the plan would place them under private owners. Until Congress amends the charter, no sale can take place, so the branches continue to operate under PAGCOR for now¹. Players at those venues would see new operators, and PAGCOR has said it is upgrading casinos, modernizing ICT and cybersecurity infrastructure and expecting nearly 4,000 new slot machines from three major suppliers to make the branches more attractive to buyers¹. PAGCOR would become a purely regulatory body with no conflict of interest, in its own description, and would collect licensing and other fees instead of casino earnings¹. The POGO ban after Dec. 31 does not affect land-based casinos, which the article identifies as the largest source of industry GGR¹. For general licensing and venue checks, see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?, Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia and Is This Casino Licensed?.

What happens next

The committee's draft bill must go to Congress, which would need to amend the PAGCOR charter, including extending its franchise, before privatization can proceed¹. Tengco said he has started the ball rolling to ensure privatization of Casino Filipino by 2026¹. After privatization, PAGCOR plans to establish a Gaming Academy with Asian gaming education and hospitality partners¹. The article notes that politicians in Congress may yet stop the privatization¹.