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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) — The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) on Sunday ordered the suspension of all casino and other gaming operations in Metro Manila amid the increasing threat of coronavirus disease or COVID-19 in the country.

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Land-based casinos, electronic games, bingo, sports betting, poker, and slot machine clubs operations will be suspended immediately. PAGCOR said the order will remain until the duration of the community quarantine imposed on Metro Manila.

Domingo also said the local gaming industry’s total revenues in 2017 may still expand to P160 billion, as casinos in the Philippines have yet to feel any impact of the recent deadly attack. Pagcor operates nine casino branches and 32 satellite casinos in major cities nationwide. Its net profit dropped 49.8% year on year to P777.44 million in the first quarter due to the lockdown. Gaming revenue declined 5.7% to P17.22 billion during the period. The Philippines has allowed a land-based casino to accept bets online and is reviewing two other requests in a move that could help operators mitigate losses from the pandemic. Gaming stocks rose. Philippines: casino-resorts to offer online gaming for Filipino high rollers Online gambling, which will be exclusively for Filipino high rollers, may begin as early as this month, said Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp Chairman Andrea Domingo. There were nine private casino firms in the Philippines operating 1,580 gaming tables and 9,895 electronic gaming machines, according to government data. Pagcor also operates several casinos.

PAGCOR said Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) will remain, but with limitations. The state-run agency said only a minimum number of workers will be allowed in their workplaces. Latest available government data show that POGO service providers have about 108,914 employees.

The rest of POGO workers will be restricted to their living quarters where they will observe social distancing and quarantine protocols, PAGCOR said.

'PAGCOR believes in the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation. Hence, it supports the government’s extreme effort in containing the virus. For its part, the state-run gaming agency has decided to prohibit public gatherings in its gaming venues and in the licensed gaming properties that it regulates,' it announced on its Facebook page.

It added that operations of PAGCOR properties will likewise be suspended in areas outside Metro Manila if the local government declares a community quarantine.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp says two gaming hubs are currently under construction to house offshore operators, says CNN Philippines.

PAGCOR assistant vice president for offshore gaming licensing Jose Tria said the hubs in Clark and Cavite are already under construction. Two others under consideration will not happen due to the pandemic.

Tria said: 'We hope that they can continue with the construction so that we can already start relocating some of the operators and service providers which have been granted by the BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue] their clearances.”

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The hubs are designed to halt the flow of lost government revenue due to insufficient industry regulation.