PAGCOR Changes Gaming Licensing Unit Lineup

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has announced changes to its gaming licensing unit. The corporation is in charge of the regulation and licensing of casinos in the Southeast Asian country.

A new head of Gaming Licensing and Development Department

The corporation has announced a few changes to the management lineup of its licensing unit, including the appointment of Angeline Papica-Entienza as the top officer of the Gaming Licensing and Development Department. Papica-Entienza, an attorney, was also named the corporation’s vice president. She replaces Ramon Villaflor, who recently stepped down from the position.

There have also been other changes in the department. One is the removal of Dave Sevilla as the senior manager of the Casino Licensing and Regulatory Unit. Sevilla was replaced by Rowena Alcaide, who is also an attorney. The other notable change has been at the corporation’s Responsible Gaming and Logistics Unit. Angelie Agustin was appointed the new senior manager and replaces Luis Dela Concepcion, who was the former head of the unit.

Jeremy Luglug has been appointed as acting senior manager of PAGCOR’s Remote Gaming Unit. The attorney has replaced Maria Perpetua Flor. The corporation has reported that Papica-Entienza and Alcaide started in their new positions on July 3. Agustin and Luglug began their new duties on July 9.

The president’s moratorium

These changes in the management at PAGCOR have come a few months after Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, temporarily prohibited all construction of casinos in the country. He has also placed a moratorium on the one that will be built on the Island of Boracay. The casino is owned by Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG).

Andrea Domingo, the chairwoman of the corporation, informed the gaming executives of the existing moratorium, which was announced by the president earlier this year. This was done during the ASEAN Gaming Summit 2018, which was held in March in Manila. She said that the corporation would, however, continue to process the applications that were made before the Jan. 13 moratorium was put in place. She said this is possible because the applicants had already fulfilled all the requirements and paid all the relevant fees.

PAGCOR has come under fire recently for giving GEG the green light to continue with the construction of the casino and resort project. It is slated to be worth $500 million and is expected to start next year on the small island. The corporation, through its subsidiary BPRLC (Boracay Philippines Resort and Leisure Corp.), granted the Leisure Resorts & World Corp. and GEG the provisional license to start the construction. Leisure Resorts & World Corp.is GEG’s local partner. PAGCOR has consistently defended this decision.

Too many casinos in the country

Earlier this year, Domingo addressed reporters during the global gaming technology event, ICE, in London and said the president directed her to stall the processing of any new casinos. There are already too many, according to the president. Domingo said this was the reason for the moratorium. She reiterated that, after Jan. 30, the corporation would not be accepting nor processing any applications. She went on to say that the process may resume once the market becomes stable enough to accept new entrants. Domingo added that PAGCOR would be issuing a memorandum to effect the order.

Duterte had voiced his concerns about the already apparent proliferation of new casinos outside Entertainment City, the entertainment hub found in Paranaque.

The corporation reported a 7.6 percent growth in its net income for the first quarter of 2018. This was in comparison to its net income for the same time period last year.

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