Cebu Casinos

Cebu's casinos at a glance

Cebu has become the gaming capital of the central and southern Philippines. The headline venue is NUSTAR Resort and Casino, a five-star integrated resort on the South Road Properties in Cebu City that opened as the first resort of its kind in the Visayas and Mindanao regions⁶. It is the largest leisure destination outside Metro Manila and now draws both a strong domestic crowd and international players from neighboring Asian countries⁷.

Alongside NUSTAR, the long-standing option is Casino Filipino Cebu, located inside the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Salinas Drive in Lahug, with the Blue Sapphire Poker Club on its ground floor⁴. On Mactan island, near the airport, the Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino runs a satellite gaming venue at #1 Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City, and the Golden Bell Holdem & Poker club operates on the second floor of Bonifacio Plaza in Barangay Maribago⁹. For the wider picture of legal gambling across the country, see gambling in the Philippines.

Entry rules are the same for Filipinos and foreign visitors at these venues: you must be 21 or older, and at NUSTAR you will need a valid ID at the door¹⁰. Politically exposed persons are not allowed to play at NUSTAR².

NUSTAR Resort and Casino: the largest gaming floor in the Visayas

NUSTAR Resort and Casino sits on the South Road Properties (SRP), a reclaimed waterfront district that is one of the most significant property developments in Cebu City in years¹¹. The resort complex combines three hotels with a total of 1,000 room keys, a shopping mall housing major fashion brands, and a two-level casino spread across 21,000 square meters of floor area, making it the largest and most varied gaming floor in the region¹.

The scale is impressive by any standard. The casino operates over 250 gaming tables and 1,500 electronic gaming machines, and it runs around the clock: the casino is open 24 hours daily¹. Entry to the floor is free, with no admission fee¹⁰.

The Gokongwei group, one of the Philippines' largest conglomerates, backed the project, betting on Cebu's growth as a leisure destination⁶. The resort held its opening ceremonies to unveil the north wing of the gaming floor along with casual and fine dining options, and its gaming floor is positioned as the largest and most varied in central and southern Philippines⁸.

Getting there is straightforward. NUSTAR runs a free shuttle service to key points in Cebu City and surrounding areas, and the parking area is equipped with EV charging stations if you drive yourself⁷.

Table games and slots at NUSTAR

The table game lineup covers the classics and a few house specialties: Baccarat, Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Sic Bo, Pontoon, Bingo Royale, NUSTAR Stud Poker and NUSTAR Hold'Em Progressive Poker³. If you are new to any of these, our guide to casino table games in the Philippines walks through the common rules.

Blackjack at NUSTAR follows a familiar format: the dealer's first card is dealt face up, and the second card is dealt only when all players have completed their hands¹⁴. Baccarat is the biggest draw in most Philippine casinos, and you can read about it in our baccarat in the Philippines guide.

Beyond the live tables, the floor includes an electronic gaming stadium, where seated players bet on live-dealt or electronically generated games on shared screens, plus exclusive VIP rooms and a Premium Area for higher-stakes play¹³. The slot machine offering runs to 1,500 electronic gaming machines across the two levels¹. If it is your first time playing slots, it helps to set a budget before you sit down, since an hour of play can pass quickly¹⁶.

NUSTAR Hold'Em Progressive Poker: how it plays

This is NUSTAR's house-banked take on Texas Hold'em: instead of playing against other players, you play against a casino dealer¹⁷. The objective is to beat the dealer's hand by making the best five-card poker hand using your two hole cards and up to five community cards, or by playing the board¹⁷.

The hand plays out over the familiar flop, turn and river rounds¹³. When you elect to bet, you place your cards face down in the playing area along with a wager equal to twice the value of your Ante¹⁷. If you fold instead, the dealer collects your Ante and Bonus wagers and you are out of the hand¹⁷.

One etiquette rule worth knowing: players are not permitted to communicate, other than declaring an intention to fold or place wagers, until all players have completed the betting round¹⁷. If you have a losing hand and no winning progressive jackpot hand, you may concede the hand with a sweeping motion of your hand toward the dealer¹⁷.

The dealer must qualify with a hand of an Ace and a King or higher for the main bet to pay at full odds; when the dealer qualifies, your bet wins according to the posted payout odds¹⁷.

NUSTAR Stud Poker: payouts and the dealer qualify rule

NUSTAR Stud Poker is a poker-based card game played one-on-one between you and the dealer, often tied to a progressive jackpot bonus. In the UK and Europe the same game is usually called Casino Five Card Stud Poker¹⁸.

You start with an ante, then receive five cards face down. The dealer also receives five cards, but one of them is shown to you face up¹⁸. Based on that single visible card and your own hand, you make your decision: fold and surrender your ante bet, or raise and double the ante bet¹⁸.

The dealer qualify rule is the heart of the game. The dealer needs at least an Ace and a King to qualify. If the dealer fails to qualify, you win regardless of your hand: even money on the ante and a push on the raise¹⁸. If the dealer qualifies and beats you, you lose your ante and raise, which is twice your original wager¹⁸. If the dealer qualifies and you tie, both the ante and the raise push¹⁸.

When the dealer qualifies and you win, the raise pays according to this table¹⁸:

This structure is shared with Caribbean Stud Poker, the international version of the game, where the dealer's hand must likewise contain an Ace and a King or higher to qualify, and the lowest qualifying hand is A-K-4-3-2 while the highest non-qualifying hand is A-Q-J-10-9¹⁹.

Progressive jackpots: MEGA, MAJOR and fixed payouts

Both NUSTAR poker games carry a progressive jackpot side wager, and the payout structure is the same in each. The top two levels are the MEGA and MAJOR jackpots, which grow as players contribute. A Royal Flush wins the MEGA at 100% of the jackpot, and a Straight Flush wins the MAJOR at 100% of the jackpot¹⁸. If you hit either, the money is paid at the cage, the casino cashier, rather than at the table¹⁷.

Below those levels are fixed payouts that do not change with the meter¹⁷:

On electronic TAP 'N PLAY devices, the estimated jackpot amount is shown on the top screen, and on multi-price games you must bet the maximum amount to be eligible for the progressive jackpot²⁰.

Waterfront Hotel & Casino and Blue Sapphire Poker Club in Lahug

Before NUSTAR, the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Salinas Drive in Lahug was the center of Cebu City gaming, and it still hosts Casino Filipino Cebu⁹. The Blue Sapphire Poker Club operates a licensed poker room on the ground floor of the casino there, making it the main place in Cebu City to play live poker against other players rather than the house⁴.

The Waterfront group runs four properties: Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino in Lapu-Lapu City near Mactan airport, Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao, and Waterfront Manila Hotel & Casino, which is listed as coming soon²¹. The Cebu City property also doubles as a concert venue; Bjorn Again: The Abba Forever Tour played there on August 7, 2026²¹.

On Mactan, the Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino satellite at #1 Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City offers a convenient stop if you are staying near the airport or the resort beaches⁹. Also in Lapu-Lapu City, Golden Bell Holdem & Poker runs a licensed poker room on the second floor of Bonifacio Plaza on the M.L. Quezon National Highway in Barangay Maribago⁴. For more on the game itself, see poker in the Philippines.

Eating, staying and the rest of the NUSTAR resort

NUSTAR is designed as a full resort, so you can easily spend a whole day there without leaving. The dining lineup is extensive, with more than twenty outlets²²:

• Abaca Baking Company
• Axis Entertainment and Sports Bar
• Barcino
• Café Laguna
• Fili Cafe
• Fili Lobby Lounge
• Fina
• Good Luck Hot Pot
• Huangdi
• Il Primo
• Lemon Grass
• Lucky Lantern
• Koshima by Nonki
• Mott 32
• NOM Urban Kitchen
• NUSTAR Lobby Lounge
• Starbucks
• Taiwan Sha-bu Sha-bu
• Texas Roadhouse
• UCC Mentoré Coffee + Bar
• Umishō
• Xin Tian Di
• Yeonwha The Premium by Kaya

UCC Mentoré opened its first Cebu store at the resort, and the Axis Entertainment and Sports Bar hosts live performances alongside the gaming²³.

The hotel side offers a five-star stay with a wide range of room types, from Deluxe King and Deluxe Seaview rooms up to Bayview Suites, Executive Suites and Fili Suites in both city-view and seaview configurations²². The Axis Sports and Entertainment Bar has added another leisure dimension to the property²⁴.

A few house rules make visits smoother. The dress code on the gaming floor is smart casual; beachwear, sleeveless shirts and slippers are generally not permitted¹⁰. Outside food is prohibited, but you can deposit it at the Casino Concierge and pick it up on your way out². And if you want a break from the tables, the resort promotes Cebu's heritage and cuisine as part of the experience, from sunset cruises to luxury shopping²⁵.

NUSTAR Rewards: free membership, five tiers

NUSTAR Rewards is the resort's membership program, and signing up is free at the NUSTAR Rewards Counter⁵. Membership is open to qualified applicants 21 years old and above, and the program was recently upgraded with an all-new set of cards and perks⁵.

The program has five card tiers: STAR, SKY, SUN, ZODIAC and UNIVERSE². To upgrade to the SKY tier you need to earn 500 Reward Points². You earn and use points every time you dine, stay, play and shop at partner establishments within the integrated resort, including the casino mass gaming floor, the casino VIP floor, NUSTAR Premium, and the dining, shop and spa outlets⁵.

The card is valid for one year from signup, and your points are valid for one year from when you earn them. To renew, present your expired membership card at the NUSTAR Rewards Counter; if you lose your card, a replacement is issued when you present a valid ID there⁵. For how this compares with other programs in the country, see our guide to casino loyalty programs in the Philippines.

NUSTAR online

NUSTAR's parent company, Universal Hotels and Resorts, Inc., is registered with PAGCOR as an online gaming service provider under the domain casinomaxx.ph, operating as Casino Maxx with live gaming tables²⁶. This means the company behind the Cebu resort also runs a licensed online casino product, though the resort experience in Cebu remains centered on the physical floor at the South Road Properties. For the broader online landscape, see our pages on online gambling in the Philippines and PAGCOR-licensed online casinos.