PAGCOR’s Gaming Licensing and Development Department Assistant VP Ma. Vina Claudette Oca (left) and Mr. Ivalylov Ivanov, Head of Resort Facilities and Hotel Operations, LET X Integrated Resorts (2nd from left) receive tokens of appreciation from the Philippine Hotel Owners Association for serving as panelists at the 1st Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit at New World Makati Hotel Friday, June 21.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation said the country’s integrated resorts and casinos remain one of the primary growth drivers of local tourism, creating a multiplier effect across various industries.
Vina Claudette Oca, PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for Gaming Licensing and Development Department, during a panel discussion at the 1st Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit, held over the weekend.
Oca, one of the panelists on the topic, “Navigating Challenges and Opportunities for Casino Hotels in the Philippines,” said casinos are just a small component of the many attractions offered by integrated resorts in the country.
She said this is because PAGCOR mandates that all integrated resorts offer more non-gaming attractions and resort facilities, including dining and shopping destinations.
“They are only allowed to allocate 7.5% of their facility’s total floor area to gaming,” she said. “The rest of the floor area is allocated for non-gaming facilities such as hotel rooms, retail areas, dining and other attractions.”
Oca added that currently, integrated casinos employ over 20,000 Filipinos, helping provide livelihood opportunities to locals.
Meanwhile, she said that nearly 80% of PAGCOR’s revenues from regulated gaming are remitted to the government to fund significant socio-civic projects.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco also served as the keynote speaker at the 1st Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit, which was held at the New World Makati Hotel on June 21.
The event was co-presented by the Department of Tourism’s attached agency, Tourism Infrastructure, and Enterprise Zone Authority, along with PAGCOR and the Tourism Promotions Board as government agency sponsors.
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