Integrated resort casinos are emerging as a key force behind the Philippines’ tourism momentum and public service funding, generating P93.36 billion in gross gaming revenues during the first half of 2025.

From January to June 2025, the country’s integrated resorts brought in P93.36 billion in gross gaming revenues (GGR), nearly half of the total P215 billion generated by the entire local gaming sector, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

In his welcome address at the Philippine Hotel Connect 2025 held on 24 July, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco highlighted the role of integrated resorts in powering both the economy and the government’s social services.

“Of the P93.36 billion generated by the integrated resort casinos, P16 billion was paid to PAGCOR as license fees, ensuring funding for government social services and driving the country’s economic growth,” Chairman Tengco said.

He emphasized that beyond generating revenues, integrated resorts are helping solidify the country’s image as a premier destination for both leisure and business travelers.

“We have seen time and again how a thriving hospitality sector can drive employment, fuel trade, revive local enterprises, and bridge communities,” he said. “And nowhere is this more evident than in the huge tourism contributions from our licensed integrated resort casinos within and outside Metro Manila.”

He added that the sector’s cultural foundations support a range of national needs.

“Their contributions are concrete examples of how tourism, hospitality, and gaming – when aligned and responsibly managed – become a catalyst for national resilience and progress.”

Tengco also addressed the growing responsibility that comes with the sector’s expansion, citing new measures to strengthen gaming regulation and consumer protection.

“As the gaming industry expands, so must our safeguards,” he said. “Hence, we have taken a firm stance against the proliferation of illegal and unregulated gaming operations that offer no safety nets or protection to players and, more importantly, no remittance or any form of revenue to the government.”

These include removing gambling advertisements from areas frequented by minors and signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ad Standards Council for stricter ad guidelines.

Tengco urged stronger cooperation between public and private stakeholders to maximize tourism gains.

“The success of Philippine tourism is a shared journey between regulators and investors, between public ambition and private innovation,” he said. “PAGCOR will continue to walk side by side with our partners in building a globally competitive yet distinctly Filipino tourism and gaming industries.”

The Philippine Hotel Connect 2025, hosted by the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, brought together hospitality and tourism leaders to discuss trends, policies, and opportunities in the evolving global tourism landscape.