Manila is One of the World's 'Hottest' Casino Destinations in 2024

Manila is One of the World's 'Hottest' Casino Destinations in 2024, Study Says

Story by Estrellita Faustino 

Esquire Philippines

17 June 2024

Manila is one of the world’s hottest casino destinations this year, according to a United Kingdom-based sports-betting and tipster community. 

According to research done by OLBG.com (Online Betting Guide), the online betting platform of British company Invendium Ltd., Manila ranked sixth in the Global Casino Index of 2024, with a score of 6.68 index points out of 10. With around 48.21 average table games per casino, Manila garnered 94,200 annual casino searches during the research period of May 2023 to April 2024. 

OLBG’s research included the number of casinos per 1,000 people, the average number of restaurants per casino, and the average daily rate of local Airbnb rentals in order to come up with the rankings on the index.

Manila had .09 casinos per 100,000 people, 2.79 average restaurants per casino and charged an average of about 37.21 British pounds (about P2,770) per night in an AirBnB, which was the most affordable in all the cities in the index’s top 10. Only Bogota, Colombia was cheaper with an average of 35.19 pounds per night. 

"Manila, the capital of the Philippines, has the second most affordable Airbnbs in our study," the write-up about the Philippine capital in OLBG’s website said. "With 14 casinos in the city, it is a fantastic destination for visitors to enjoy a night at the casino after soaking up the city’s unique Spanish-influenced culture." 

Ranked first in the Global Casino Index for 2024 is Macau, with a score of 9.32 points. The Chinese territory was followed by Philadelphia with a score of 7.24; and Las Vegas with 7.2. The rest of the Top 10 includes Singapore (6.84), and Calgary in Canada (6.72), New Orleans (6.6), Vienna (6.28), Brisbane (6.16), and Melbourne (6.08).

The research also found that Google searches for "casinos near me" increased 50 percent last year globally.

OLBG’s parent Invendium Ltd. operates some of Europe’s leading sports-betting sites and claims to have a membership of 50,000 and "millions of visits daily." OLBG, meanwhile, provides a platform for betting tips and strategies, and is among the most popular sports-betting sites in Europe. Aside from sports-betting tips, it also publishes betting odds for politician-candidates, Grammy nominees and possible winners, contestants for shows like The Great British Bake-Off, among others. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has projected gross gaming revenues (GGR) in the country to reach P336 billion in 2024, a 17.8-percent increase from the P285.27 billion recorded last year. The surge will likely come from the increasing share of electronic e-games to the gaming industry. 

In a recent news statement, PAGCOR reported total GGR in the country reached P81.7 billion in the first three months of the year, 18.54-percent higher from the P68.92 billion in the same period in 2023, with licensed casinos accounting for some 61 percent or P49.7 billion of the total. However, licensed casinos (-8.2 percent), PAGCOR’s own casinos (-8.3 percent to P4.7 billion), and bingo operations (-21.5 percent to P4.81 billion) all recorded lower gaming revenues in the period, year-on-year.

The e-games sector, meawhile, saw a surge in revenue in the first quarter this year to P22.5 billion, more than six times its P3.5-billion revenue in the same period last year. 

"The e-games revenue performance continues to exceed our projections, and this reflects how gaming technology and the proliferation of mobile devices is influencing not only our daily lives but our entertainment choices as well," PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said. "With the way technology is constantly shaping our lives and the way we do business, and even the way we choose to be entertained, the future of gaming clearly lies in this sector." 

Tengco said state-run gaming agency has improved its regulatory policies and reduced fees, which also contributed to the strong performance of the e-games sector.