The Philippines became a new gambling hub, and the gambling sector is one of its landmarks. Clear regulations helped the industry to blossom and affected the increased number of tourists, especially in Manila. For a long time, Macau has been the Asian capital of gambling, but the Philippines are ready to challenge its domination.
It's not strange that professional poker players focused their interests on the Philippines market, as they can participate in numerous tournaments. If you are a poker pro, you should learn these three things about the Philippines.
Which Poker Tournaments Take Place In The Philippines?
Poker started to develop in the Philippines in 2006 after PAGCOR's Airport Casino launched a room. It was the only poker room in the country until The Metro Card Club came into the market. Many other brick-and-mortar venues soon followed their example, which led to the launching of the Filipino Poker Tour, an event sponsored by PokerStars.
This chain of events caused poker to boom in the Philippines, and many international poker players participated in the tournaments. The government also recognized the benefits of these trends, and therefore regulated iGaming through CEZA. It opened the door to many poker sites that operate in the Philippines. If you want to have some poker action, make sure to check out picks of the Teresa Chang, еditor at online-casinos.com, which recommends poker websites with Filipino license.
A professional poker player had a broad choice of tournaments available in the Philippines. One of the biggest events is the APPT Manila. It is the most famous poker tour in Asia, and it's held every year. The Manila tournament is a significant part of the show, with the buy-in of PHP75,000.
The Red Dragon Manila tournament is another big-scale event. Poker players can count on a massive prize pool, while a buy-in goes up to PHP110,000. It usually opens the poker season and provides a great poker experience to all participants.
The Manila Megastack tournament is a perfect choice for those who are not high-rollers. PokerStars is the sponsor of this series of events that take place throughout the year. The buy-in goes between PHP15,000 and PHP35,000, and this tournament provides the chance to all poker players who cannot afford buy-ins for the Red Dragon Manila or the APPT series. This competition attracts many local poker players who fight for the prize several times a year.
Besides these top-rated tournaments, pro poker players can participate in numerous daily competitions. Although Manila is the central place for poker players, they can find games taking place in some smaller cities. They are a great opportunity to practice skills and strategies, increase the bankroll, and prepare for major events.
Top Land-Based Resorts To Play Poker In
Since the Philippines are the South-East Asian hotspot, poker players can enjoy all the luxury that brick-and-mortar resorts provide. The majority of them are based in the Manila area, but there are many great places in other cities. We will mention the most famous one where pro poker players can get the full gaming experience.
Solaire Resort and Casino opened a well-known Poker King Club poker room in 2015. Poker enthusiasts can enjoy different variants of this game, including Texas Hold'Em, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three-Card Poker, and Lunar Poker. A 199,000 square-foot playing area will provide a memorable experience to any player.
Okada Manila is another venue where pro poker players can get top-notch service. This resort hosts some of the major tournaments, and every player would like to check out the PokerStars Manilla room. Different poker types are offered to players, and they can find Pai Gow Poker, Three-Card Poker, Texas Hold'Em, Progressive Texas Hold'Em, Lunar Poker, and Let It Ride Poker.
City of Dreams Manila is the Entertainment City's second complex, launched in 2015. Lunar Poker, Three-Card Poker, and Caribbean Stud Poker provide a great experience, while the players can enjoy all the luxury of six hotel towers and find accommodation in one of 938 rooms available.
Gambling Laws In The Philippines
Gambling-friendly laws made the Philippines such an attractive location for all players around the world. Two regulatory bodies have jurisdiction over the gambling industry – PAGCOR and CEZA. Besides providing the licenses for brick-and-mortar casinos, they also regulate online gambling.
When speaking about online gambling, it is legal to operate an online casino in the Philippines, but it cannot offer its services to Filipino residents. However, those operators can accept players outside of the national borders. On the other hand, although Filipino players cannot register at domestic online casinos, they are permitted to play online casino games at licensed offshore operators. Besides casino games, domestic players can also play poker at Filipino online poker websites and place their bets in online sportsbooks.
Since gambling is not a taboo topic in the Philippines and is very precisely regulated, we expect to see the poker community growing. This exciting country has a lot to offer, and it built up a reputation in the gambling industry, which will continue to expand.
