Philippine land-based casinos see revenue drop amid industry growth
By Derco Rosal
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) reported that integrated resort (IR) casinos experienced a decline in gross gaming revenues (GGR) in the first half of this year, despite the overall gaming industry recording significant growth.
Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco reported on Thursday, July 24, that brick-and-mortar IRs saw a 5.9 percent decline in GGR in January to June 2025 to ₱93.4 billion from ₱99.2 billion in the same period last year.
This decrease in IR revenues comes despite the local gaming industry's total GGR climbing to ₱215 billion, a 25.8 percent increase from ₱170.9 billion recorded in the same period last year.
IRs, or establishments licensed by Pagcor to operate land-based casinos, contributed 43.4 percent of the gaming industry's GGR from January to June.
“Of the ₱93.4 billion generated by the integrated resort casinos, ₱16 billion was paid to Pagcor as license fees, ensuring funding for government social services,” Tengco said during the Philippine Hotel Connect 2025 on Thursday, July 24
Tengco said integrated resort casinos not only boost government revenues but also enhance the Philippines’ appeal as a global tourism destination.
“We have seen time and again how a thriving hospitality sector can drive employment, fuel trade, revive local enterprises, and bridge communities,” Tengco said.
“And nowhere is this more evident than in the huge tourism contributions from our licensed integrated resort casinos within and outside Metro Manila,” he added.
Apart from its contribution in the form of license fees, Pagcor said the country’s integrated resort casinos also provide “significant funding support” to major health, education, and military institutions through their cultural foundations.
Tengco said the tourism, hospitality, and gaming sectors, when properly aligned and managed, become an accelerator of national growth.
While the gaming industry has had a “strong performance,” Tengco stressed the need to protect the industry’s growth “through effective regulation and responsible gaming practices.”
Early this month, the state-run gaming firm and regulator ordered all gaming licensees, operators, suppliers, and system administrators to take down all gambling-related billboards and other out-of-home advertisements in a bid to regulate the growing exposure of Filipinos to gambling.
Further, all gambling-related advertisements have recently been added to the list of items or categories subject to mandatory screening under the new agreement between Pagcor and the Ad Standards Council (ASC).
This move aims to strengthen the regulation and pre-screening of gambling-related advertisements “across all media platforms.”