The Philippines could stand to profit from more gambling, but is being held back by one man. That’s the picture Andrea Domingo, head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR), told Bloomberg in a report on January 30.

PAGCOR received a directive from President Rodrigo Duterte in January 2018 to freeze out any new applications for casino licenses. Pending applications were allowed to be processed, but it’s been a full year since any new application has been permitted.

Talking to Bloomberg, Domingo said, “Gaming seems to be the sunrise industry now in Asia. There are still areas in the Philippines that can still absorb and benefit from these investments, which won’t go here with the current ban.”

Domingo and other industry experts are afraid that the Philippines may be falling behind its neighbors in development. Several other countries are either in the process of opening new casinos, or considering bids for future developments.