Quezon City pushes gambling ordinance for final approval

The Quezon City (QC) Council has approved an ordinance that will require residents to pay an entry fee in order to access casinos, as well as e-games and e-bingo hubs in the city.

According to a report from Businessworld, the ordinance will see the creation of a Gambling Regulatory Advisory Council, the adoption of gambling regulation policies, and the set up of a 24-hour gaming problem helpline.

Under the ordinance, the Gambling Regulatory Advisory Council will evaluate gambling operations and oversee the implementation of the ordinance with the help of the QC police, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). The council will also be permitted to conduct random inspections of gaming operations for monitoring and evaluation.

The entry fee amounts to P1,500 (US$28.87) for casinos, P500 for e-games outlets, or P100 for an e-bingo outlet for every consecutive period of 24 hours, or they can pay an annual fee of P30,000.

Earlier this year, PAGCOR expressed its opposition to the ordinance, stressing that Quezon City government has no right to regulate casinos in its territory, such as the Bloomberry Resorts’ Solaire Casino which is aiming to open by 2022.

Latest Intelligence

Latest issue

PATA CEO sees slow recovery, but optimism for future

AGB Podcasts