Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR is looking to mandate the implementation of smart gaming table technology at all casinos and integrated resorts nationwide, Inside Asian Gaming has learned.
The mandate is seen as a means of further enhancing the local casino industry’s regulatory framework by providing greater visibility of transactions as they happen across the gaming floor.
However, IAG understands that any such mandate, originally planned for this year, is now unlikely to be issued until at least the second half of 2027 and will likely be limited initially to large-scale integrated resorts. According to sources, smaller casinos would be brought into the scheme at a later date, with PAGCOR reluctant to demand such substantial investment at a time when casino revenues have been challenged by tourism headwinds and global economic conditions.
At present, only a handful of casino operators in the Philippines have deployed smart table technology, among them the two Solaire properties in Entertainment City and Quezon City, and at Newport World Resorts.
Such policy would mirror a similar “recommendation” issued by the Macau government in 2024 to the city’s six gaming concessionaires in regard to smart table deployment, although at the time it pointed to the ability to calculate bets placed by foreign players as a key motivation. This followed a previous government announcement that concessionaires could receive a reduction in government levies of up to 5% on gross gaming revenues generated by foreign play – a means of encouraging them to focus more energy on international markets.
All six concessionaires now boast comprehensive smart table systems, allowing them to accurately track every bet placed. However, the focus on the technology has in recent times centered on its ability to enhance player loyalty schemes as well as greater flexibility to offer high margin side bets.
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