Philippine casino regulator aims to boost marketMuhammad Cohen

Entertainment City market leader Solaire celebrated its 10th anniversary in March. (Company provided image)

Pagcor chairman Alejandro Tengco, the regulator in Asia’s most dynamic gaming market, wants to be a partner with the industry he oversees.

Pagcor – the government owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation – and its licensees generated nearly US$4 billion in gaming revenue last year. The Philippines could overtake Singapore as Asia’s second largest gaming market behind Macau with domestic economic growth and revived travel across Asia.

Solaire shopping arcade.(Company provided image)

Visitor prospects look rosy with a green light for Chinese travel to the Philippines, despite its ongoing offshore gaming licensing, a sector Tengco proposes expanding.

Former US diplomat and broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is Asia editor at large for iGaming Business, a longtime contributor to Forbes, columnist for Asia Times and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook, Twitter @MuhammadCohen and LinkedIn.