The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has honored a request made earlier by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force to shut down all gambling operations and cancel current gaming licenses on the island. The move of the gambling regulator is in line with President Duterte’s strong opposition to casinos and their degrading effect on Boracay Island.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Star cited Jose Tria Jr., special assistant to the PAGCOR chairman and chief executive officer, who announced that the regulator ordered the closure of Boracay casinos on October 22. The order came as a result of a letter received earlier this month, the paper points out. In it, the specially created Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) requested that all gaming licenses that had been issued or promised to operators on the island to be canceled.
In May, President Rodrigo Duterte established the task force with one main purpose – the new body had to “reverse the degradation” on Boracay. The BIATF was tasked with assessing the degree of pollution on the island caused by the unregulated discharge of untreated wastewaters in the sea. Boracay was then shut down for an environmental cleanup in a six-month process of rehabilitation and closure of all businesses. It opened for locals earlier this month and is expected to welcome tourists and international visitors on October 26.
Meanwhile, the island, which is a popular tourist destination, is being eyed from gambling operators who are planning the development of a large-scale casino resort. With President Duterte’s war on gambling, however, such ambitious plans are highly unlikely. After speaking against gambling on multiple occasions, earlier this month, he vowed that there will be no casinos on Boracay when it is finally reopened. The latest news from the regulator only confirms that.
Galaxy Group’s License Suspended Indefinitely
The Philippine Star also writes that PAGCOR has issued gaming licenses only to two Boracay operations, namely the Alpha Allied casino and the planned Galaxy casino resort. Currently, the only operational gambling establishment on the island is the Alpha Allied Holding Ltd.’s casino located in the Movenpick Boracay hotel. According to Jose Tria Jr., the regulator has already ordered the closure of this casino.
The gaming license for the other project has been suspended indefinitely by PAGCOR, Tria explains. It was a joint venture by Philippines-based Leisure & Resorts World Corporation and Galaxy Entertainment, a Hong Kong gambling corporation with a large number of casinos and hotels in Macau. The partnership between the two operators was set up with the ambitious plan to build a $500-million integrated casino resort.
The complex would be constructed on 57 acres of land on Boracay Island and gambling would be just a “small portion” of the hospitality and tourism project, as explained this summer by Lui Che Woo, founder and chairman of Galaxy Entertainment. Lui was confident that the integrated casino resort would become a reality despite the negative attitude of President Duterte. Galaxy had received its license last year and until recently, the project was believed to be right on track.
Following the $18.5-million rehabilitation of the Boracay Island, waters and beaches were cleaned and the infrastructure was repaired. The government installed new sewage and drainage systems and reopened the island for Filipinos last week, while foreign tourists will be allowed this week.
The “new” Boracay has new rules to prevent “degradation”, crime and pollution – there will be an overnight visitor cap of 19,000 people, as well as a total ban on alcohol consumption and smoking. New restrictions on watersports are imposed, while various types of plastics such as bags are banned to keep the island clean. Last, but not least, no casinos will operate on Boracay after all licenses were canceled.
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