Government-owned, gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) coordinated by the Office of the President has released the latest report on the number of gamblers that were excluded by casinos in 2021. While last year’s figures indicate a 15% rise in the number of players who opted for self-exclusion compared to 2020, the 2019 numbers were twice as high as the 2021 figures.

206 Players Were Excluded From Casinos in 2021

Out of the total number of 206 players excluded from casinos in the Philippines last year, more than 45% opted for the self-exclusion policy, while the rest were excluded as a result of a request made by a family member.

The 15% increase is reassuring; however, compared to the 2019 numbers recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (472), the 2021 figures were less than half. One explanation could be found in the fact that casinos in the country were subject to more long-term shutdowns ordered by the government during 2021 compared to 2020. According to the national COVID-19 Alert Level 2, casinos were only allowed to operate at a maximum capacity of 50%.

Out of the 179 exclusions in 2020, 32.4% were self-exclusions and 62.5% were exclusions upon requests from family members, and 5% were exclusions completed at the request of operators. Together with the rest of the active exclusions from previous years, casinos in the Philippines now count 1,215 excluded players.

PAGCOR Is the Second Largest Tax Generator in the Philippines

PAGCOR is a gaming operator in the country and an essential gaming regulator that collects taxes on gross gaming revenues from commercial operators while owning and operating its own casinos part of the Casino Filipino brand. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged the fact that the PAGCOR is the second biggest generator of revenues from taxes in the country and decided to allow Manila’s four integrated resorts (Solaires, Okada, City of Dreams, Resorts World) to conduct gambling operations online.

Amid the ease of restrictions issued by the government last November, the four resorts were allowed to open and exclusively offer their iGaming services to foreign customers who had wagered important amounts of money in casinos in the Philippines. Nonetheless, the resorts managed to generate an increase in the Gross Gaming Revenue from around $1.1 billion during the three-quarters of activity in 2020 to $1.23 during the period in 2021.