BLOCK Issue 4

PAGCOR
PHILIPPINE AMUSEMENT AND GAMING CORPORATION
(PAGCOR) IS A GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND CONTROLLED
CORPORATION ESTABLISHED IN 1977, WHICH OPERATES
UNDER THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES. IT
ENJOYS REVENUES WHICH PLACE IT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST
OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THE GOVERNMENT AFTER THE BUREAU
OF INTERNAL REVENUE AND THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS.
The first contract PAGCOR entered
into was with the Philippine Casino
Operators Corporation (PCOC) for the
operation of the floating casino in the Manila
Bay. However, after the floating casino was
engulfed in flames in 1979, PAGCOR decided
to focus on land-based casinos and entered
into another contract with PCOC for the
management of a casino at the Provident
International and Resources Corporation
(PIRC) building on Imelda Avenue,
Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Then, in 1983, it was mandated to act as the
sole government corporation conducting
and establishing gaming pools and casinos
in the country.
In 1986, it was re-established and
reorganised by Philippine President Corazon
C. Aquino as a New PAGCOR to help raise
funds for the government. The firm now
operates its own casinos and several VIP
slot clubs in major cities across the country,
and it also oversees and regulates privately
owned casinos, more than 180 bingo
parlours, as well as e-games cafes across
the country with an employee count of more
than 11,000 workers.
In June 2007, legislation was passed which
granted PAGCOR a further 25 years to
regulate and operate games of chance,
to issue licences, and to enter into a joint
venture, management, or investment
agreements with private entities.
The current Head of PAGCOR is Andrea
Domingo, a former member of Philippines’
President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign
team, where she helped organise volunteer
groups. This is not her first position in
public office as she previously served as
head of the Bureau of Immigration, as a
congresswoman from Pampanga in the
mid-1990s and as CEO of the Philippine
Reclamation Authority within the Public
Works Department.
PAGCOR and Domingo are currently doing all
they can to aid the national government in its
response to the impact of COVID-19, including
and not limited to donating billions of Pesos
– in spite of it incurring billions of losses.
This also involved distributing food packs to
1,800 healthcare workers from three public
hospitals, the purchasing of a further 150,000
food packs for distribution to various sectors
and communities, and working closely with
its licensed integrated-resort casinos for the
purchase and donation of personal protective
equipment (PPEs) for front-liners.
“We still do our best to reach out to
communities which do not have access to
basic needs. They deserve all the help that
we can give,” Domingo said.
The Board of Directors for PAGCOR officially
announced their approval of the strategic
partnership proposal that will take place
with SiGMA, noting that the collaboration
will encourage regional and international
investment in the Philippines.
10 | #AIBCsummit Issue 4