Duterte's Ban Clouds Philippines' Casino Push, Gaming Chief Says

Gaming agency chief proposes relaxing Duterte’s ban on casinos
Nation faces competition from Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia

Andrea Domingo
Photographer: Bullit Marquez/AP Photo

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By Ian C Sayson and Cecilia Yap

January 30, 2019 at 3:42 AM UTC

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The Philippines’ gaming chief said she will ask President Rodrigo Duterte to relax a ban on new casino licenses as the nation risks losing out on a gaming boom for which its Asian neighbors are lining up.

A moratorium on new casino licenses that took effect in January 2018 could drive away gaming investments, Andrea Domingo, the head of the state gaming regulator said in an interview on Tuesday in Manila. She hoped Duterte can be persuaded to implement a selective ban when she meets the president as early as this week.