State-regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) has backed the government’s plan to privatize casinos under its control.

PAGCOR Chairperson Andrea D. Domingo told reporters at the sidelines of the ASEAN Gaming Summit that they will not block the plan of Philippines’ Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III to sell the 46 owned and controlled casinos.

 “I am not opposing it… If it is going to happen, it will happen,” Domingo said. “We had no chance [before] to discuss it with the DOF [Department of Finance] as we were busy collecting revenues as much as we can. But we have to discuss it,” Domingo said.

In November, Philippine Senator Loren Legarda disclosed during the plenary of the DOF’s proposed 2017 budget that the government started privatizing its casinos. The DOF, according to Legarda, is expecting the completion of casino privatization by September this year.