TLDR
- PAGCOR will require Entertainment City’s four integrated resorts to start converting gaming tables to smart tables by January 1, 2027.
- The rule covers City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, and Solaire Resort Entertainment City.
- The deadline is for starting the conversion process, not finishing it.
- Baccarat tables come first, with other table games expected to follow.
- Resorts in Clark and Cebu, plus other casinos nationwide, may be added later.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) will require the four integrated resorts in Manila’s Entertainment City to begin converting their gaming tables to smart table technology by January 1, 2027.
The requirement will first apply to City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, and Solaire Resort Entertainment City. All four are in Manila’s Entertainment City gaming and tourism district.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco confirmed the plan on Tuesday. He spoke with Inside Asian Gaming during the Global Gaming Expo, known as G2E, in Las Vegas.
Deadline Focuses on Starting Conversions
Tengco said all integrated resorts must, at a minimum, begin converting their tables from January 1, 2027. The deadline is about starting the work, not completing every conversion by that date.
He said the rule applies to every integrated resort licensee in the Philippines. However, PAGCOR is focusing first on the Entertainment City properties.
According to Tengco, most of the integrated resorts have already started converting their tables. He said these operators are complying ahead of the formal deadline.
They are expected to be using smart table technology by early 2027. PAGCOR’s guidelines will require other integrated resort licensees to begin conversion during 2027.
The first stage of the mandate is understood to cover baccarat tables. Other casino table games are expected to be added as the requirement expands.
How Smart Tables Will Be Used
Smart tables can monitor gaming activity and give operators and regulators access to transaction information. PAGCOR expects the technology to give it greater visibility into transactions as they happen on casino floors.
The regulator has described the requirement as part of its effort to strengthen the regulatory framework for Philippine casinos. The system is seen as a way to improve oversight in the local industry.
Only a small number of casino operators in the Philippines use smart table technology today. Solaire’s properties in Entertainment City and Quezon City use a hybrid system from Angel.
Newport World Resorts has also recently installed a smart table solution from Walker Digital Table Systems. Both operators already use the type of technology the new guidelines will require more widely.
PAGCOR is also preparing to open an area for smart tables and new electronic gaming machines at its Casino Filipino branch in Angeles City. Tengco said the property was recently renovated.
The Angeles City branch is one of PAGCOR’s largest and most profitable self-owned casinos. The new area will add another site where the regulator’s own casinos use updated technology.
Integrated resorts in other locations, such as Clark and Cebu, may be included at a later stage. Other casinos across the country could also be added.
PAGCOR has not yet set a deadline for casinos outside Entertainment City. The regulator expects to extend the mandate to more integrated resorts and casinos at a later date.
