City gov’t reaps from Pagcor’s Entertainment City tax windfall

Casino resorts in the Entertainment City continue to prove their worth as one of the Philippines’ biggest players.

In the city of Paranaque, where the 120-hectare Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s (Pagcor) development project is located, officials said operators of the City of Dreams Manila and Solaire Resorts and Casino “contributed the biggest chunk” to the local government’s coffers in 2015, the Manila Bulletin reported.

The two integrated resorts paid a total of PHP191 million (USD4.04 million) in real property tax last year, according to the report. Of the two, recently-opened City of Dreams Manila paid PHP135.9 million (USD2.86 million), while Solaire’s developer Bloombery—which gained a favorable headstart over other Entertainment City operators—paid PHP55 million (USD1.16 million).

Businesses linked with the development of the casino resorts also contributed to the city’s revenue collection in 2015. Entertainment City project developer D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc. (DMWAI) remitted PHP46.6 million (USD986,149), while construction consultancy and management firm Manila Bay Development Corp. (MBDC) added PHP34.9 million (USD738,546) in real tax payments.