Philippine casinos have reportedly received permission to launch online gambling operations to help make up for the pandemic downturn in their land-based business.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) had okayed several of its land-based casino licensees to launch online betting operations as a means of offsetting the steep losses Manila’s integrated resorts have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

PAGCOR president Alfredo Lim told the media outlet that the regulator had approved applications filed by three casinos in Manila’s Entertainment City gaming zone – Bloomberry Resorts’ Solaire Resort & Casino, Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s City of Dreams Manila and Universal Entertainment’s Okada Manila – for ‘betting through the internet.’

Rumors of such a step have been circulating for about a month and PAGCOR confirmed last week that it had received proposals from some casino licensees seeking to take online bets “from known patrons only.” PAGCOR said at the time that various government departments were “conducting studies” related to these proposals.