Inside Asian Gaming

IAG SEP 2021年9月 亞博匯 14 PHILIPPINES LIFTS MORATORIUM ON NEW CASINO DEVELOPMENTS 菲律賓解除新賭場開發禁令 PHILIPPINES GAMING REGULATOR PAGCOR says it will start accepting applications for new casino developments after a moratorium imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018 was lifted. The policy reversal is a response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Philippines government looking for ways to increase revenue. It could also breathe new life into a plan by Philippines gaming investor Leisure and Resorts World Corp (LRWC) and Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group to develop a US$550 million casino resort on Boracay. “The President issued the moratorium in 2018 so … we didn’t accept any new applications,” said PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo. “Now he has lifted [the moratorium] so we can once again receive applications for casino licenses.” A report by the Philippines Inquirer also quoted Domingo as saying, “From what I heard, this [new casino] is in Boracay,” suggesting the LRWC-Galaxy project could be back on the agenda. The joint venture partners were granted a provisional casino license by PAGCOR in March 2018, with LRWC announcing soon after that it had purchased a 23-hectare site on Boracay upon which the resort was to be built. However, Duterte – a vocal opponent of gambling during his early days as President – quickly quashed that idea by introducing the moratorium. 菲律賓博彩監管機構 PAGCOR 表示，在總統杜特 爾特於週五解除其2018年頒布的禁令之後，該機 構將開始接受新賭場開發項目的申請。 之所以該政策發生逆轉乃是由於疫情對菲律 賓造成巨大影響，菲政府正在尋找增加收入的渠 道。而早前菲博彩投資公司Leisure and Resorts World Corp (LRWC)及澳門銀娛曾有意投資5.5億 美元在長灘島發展賭場娛樂村的計劃，也可能因 此重新被擺上案頭。 PAGCOR 主席Andrea Domingo說：「總統在 2018年叫停……所以我們當時不接受任何新的 申請。但現在他解除了禁令，我們可以再次接收有 關賭牌的申請。」 菲律賓媒體《Philippines Inquirer》在一篇報 道中引述Domingo的話語：「據我所知，這個新賭 場將設在長灘島。」，此言或暗示LRWC-銀娛項目 或重被提上日程。 2018年2月，PAGCOR向這對合作夥伴頒發了 臨時賭牌，LRWC隨即在不久後宣佈已經在長灘島 購買了一個23公頃的土地，用於建造度假村。 但是，曾在總統任期早期強烈反對博彩業的 杜特爾特很快通過禁令暫停這一計劃。