Pagcor Eyes Privatization Of Casino Filipino By 2027

State gaming regulator and operator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) is keen to transition to a purely regulatory role as it ramps up privatization by selling off its Casino Filipino assets.

PAGCOR chairman Alejandro Tengco said over the weekend they were merely awaiting completion of the comprehensive review by the Governance Commission for Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) and its issuance of a green-light to the “decoupling” proposal which they hope to get early next year.

PAGCOR has termed the privatization of Casino Filipino as a decoupling process and result in PAGCOR becoming a pure regulator that will issue licenses and collect regulatory and license fees.

After getting GCG approval, Tengco said their decoupling proposal will be forwarded to the Office of the President, which may issue an executive order or amend existing directives to finalize the shift.

Tengco said the transition could be completed by late 2026 or early 2027, depending on the approval timeline.

He said the planned sale of Casino Filipino branches could generate P30 billion to 50 billion, similar to earlier estimates.

However, once PAGCOR stops operating casinos, revenue from gaming operations will disappear and will be replaced only by license fees from private operators.

Tengco noted that the law currently allocates roughly 70 percent of PAGCOR’s income to nation-building contributions. Once casino operations are privatized, this structure will change, and income will shift toward regulatory collections.

He emphasized that expenses will also drop significantly after decoupling as PAGCOR will no longer maintain casino personnel or lease gaming facilities, offsetting expected declines in gross income.