# Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR, Filipino: Korporasyon sa Libangan at Palaro ng Pilipinas) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established in 1977 through the Presidential Decree No. 1869. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government after the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs.
PAGCOR is under the Office of the President of the Philippines.

## History

The Corporation was created during the Martial Law years by virtue of a Presidential Decree No. 1067-A issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on January 1, 1977, in response to calls for the Philippine Government to put a stop to the growing proliferation of illegal casino operations in various parts of the country then.
The first casino by PAGCOR the Manila Bay Casino opened in 1977. It is a floating casino which operated on the ship MS Philippine Tourist. It was gutted by fire in 1979.
PAGCOR shifted its focus to 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 in Parañaque, Metro Manila.
Then, under Presidential Decree No. 1869, decreed in 1983, it was mandated to act as the government corporation conducting and establishing gaming pools and casinos in the country.
In 1986, it was re-established and reorganized by Philippine President Corazon Aquino as a new PAGCOR to help raise funds for the government; Norberto Quisumbing was appointed as its first chairman, followed by the former Development Bank of the Philippines Chair Alicia L. Reyes as its Chair and CEO. Reyes was succeeded by Ephraim Genuino under the appointment by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001.
In June 2007, PAGCOR gained from a piece of legislation, Republic Act No. 9487, which granted the state-run gaming firm, then under the leadership of Chairman Genuino, another 25 years to regulate and operate games of chance, to issue licenses, and to enter into joint venture, management, or investment agreements with private entities for the Entertainment City in the Manila Bay area, Parañaque, and in Newport City, Pasay, in particular. Chairman Genuino successfully attracted investors to the project to put up Las Vegas-style integrated resorts. Two integrated resorts opened on November 1, 2014.
In 2016, during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, PAGCOR began regulating offshore gambling hubs under the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). Although these hubs has operated in the country since 2003.
PAGCOR announced that it will launch a global-facing online casino in early 2024 under its ‘Casino Filipino’ brand.
In August 2024, Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen granted Yeng Guiao's 2016 mandamus nullifying the Ramos-era Pagcor memorandum. It directed the Pagcor to remit 5% of its gross income per year to PSC from 1993.

## Branding

The current logo of PAGCOR was adopted on July 11, 2023 in commemoration of its 40th year anniversary. According to chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco:
   [The] logo incorporates the element of fire associated with energy, inspiration, passion, and transformation. It symbolizes the flame that ignites change and drives progress. The logo likewise reflects a beacon which symbolizes guidance, leadership, and direction. It represents a guiding light that helps people find their way. All these taken together, [it] reflects PAGCOR's long standing commitment of being a guiding force that illuminates the way forward, drives transformation and development, and brings inspiration and motivation to the lives it touches.
The logo generated discussions and debates on social media platforms including the similar resemblance of the logo on Petron Corporation. Nonetheless, this has not affected Pagcor's operations as it posted record high earnings of P410 billion in 2024 .

## Operations

PAGCOR operates its own casinos and several VIP slot clubs in major cities across the country. It also oversees and regulates privately owned casinos, more than 180 bingo parlors, as well as e-games cafes across the country. The company employs more than 11,000 workers.

### Casino Filipino

Casino Filipino (CF) is a casino chain operated by PAGCOR.
Casino Filipino's has two main branches in Manila; in Malate and Santa Cruz. It also has major branches in Angeles City, Bacolod, Cebu City, Davao City, San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte, Iloilo City, Olongapo and Tagaytay. PAGCOR also maintains satellite casinos under the Casino Filipino brand.
The Airport Casino Filipino in Parañaque was a former major branch which closed in 2014.

### Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators

In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 started the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) program under PAGCOR to allow online gambling in major cities.$^{:102}$ PAGCOR issued licenses to be used for service providers to offer online gambling.$^{:102}$ Most of the companies which obtained POGO licenses were Chinese, and their businesses primarily catered to the ethnic Chinese community at-large.$^{:102}$
On July 22, 2024, after President Bongbong Marcos officially banned all POGOs in the country, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) are instructed to cease all POGO operations by the end of the year.

## Relations to the government

PAGCOR is classed as a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC). As of 2024, PAGCOR is the most profitable state-owned enterprise in the Philippines.$^{:102}$ It is the third largest contributor to government revenues, following taxes and customs.$^{:102}$

## List of chairpersons

* Norberto B. Quisumbing (1986)
* Alicia L. Reyes (1987–2001)
* Hildegarde A. Palacios (June-July 2001)
* Efraim C. Genuino (2001–2010)
* Cristino L. Naguiat Jr. (2010 – June 2016)
* Andrea D. Domingo (July 2016 – August 2022)
* Alejandro H. Tengco (August 2022–present)