THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said on Thursday that gross gaming revenue (GGR) hit P215 billion in the first half.
“Of the P93.36 billion generated by the integrated resort casinos, P16 billion was paid to PAGCOR as license fees, ensuring funding for government social services and driving the country’s economic growth,” PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco said in a speech during the Philippine Hotel Connect 2025 event.
GGR was 26% higher year on year.
Integrated resorts revenue fell 5.86% from a year earlier.
As the online gaming comes under attack from supporters of stricter regulation, the outlook for integrated resorts remains bullish, industry officials said.
“I would say there is natural or organic demand for an online gaming experience,which is complementary to bricks-and-mortar gaming demand,” Gregory Francis Hawkins, president and chief operating officer of Bloomberry Resorts Corp. said at a panel discussion.
Mr. Hawkins sees a likely reduction in the contribution from the junket segment, with the mass-market and premium mass-market both growing slightly.
Jeffrey Rodrigo L. Evora, president and chief operating officer of Winford Resort & Casino Manila said his company is partnering with a junket operator to grow its VIP segment.
“We’re very excited about this mainly because we’ve never had a VIP market. We are really mass, premium mass, but the advantage of having this is that the segment is less volatile,” Mr. Evora said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante