{"id":777046857,"date":"2026-08-31T08:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T11:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777046857"},"modified":"2026-08-31T08:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T11:55:25","slug":"melco-considering-philippine-igaming-launch-seaport-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/melco-considering-philippine-igaming-launch-seaport-says","title":{"rendered":"Melco considering Philippine igaming launch, Seaport says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Analysts say the operator is considering a launch of online gaming via City of Dreams Manila.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Philippines.- Melco Resorts & Entertainment is considering launching an igaming operation at City of Dreams Manila<\/strong> as the casino resort faces competition from rivals that operate in both land-based and online gaming. That’s according to Seaport Research Partners<\/strong>, which cites discussions with Melco management at the 2026 Seaport Annual Summer Conference<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior analyst Vitaly Umansky said that no decision has been made but notes that City of Dreams Manila is currently the only major casino resort in Manila\u2019s Entertainment City without an igaming operation<\/strong>. Its main competitors all have igaming businesses permitted by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Melco is also keeping open the possibility of<\/strong> selling its operations at City of Dreams Manila<\/strong>. According to Seaport, the company would consider a divestment if it receives what it considers the right valuation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melco began reviewing \u201cstrategic alternatives<\/strong>\u201d for its involvement in the Manila property in February 2025. The company ended that review in February 2026 after determining that the options considered would not fully realise the property’s value and potential, but it did not rule out a future sale. Analysts previously estimated that a deal could generate close to US$600m<\/strong> for Melco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seaport has described the outlook for Melco\u2019s Manila business as stable despite rising competition.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Thai police arrest PHAYAK789 admin over alleged online gambling operation<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Analysts say the operator is considering a launch of online gaming via City of Dreams Manila.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":777023510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Melco Resorts & Entertainment is reportedly considering an iGaming launch at City of Dreams Manila to counter competition from rivals already operating online, according to Seaport Research Partners. Concurrently, Melco is also evaluating a potential divestment of its Manila operations if an appropriate valuation is met, having previously reviewed strategic alternatives for the property.","focusai_entities":"Melco Resorts & Entertainment, City of Dreams Manila, Seaport Research Partners, Vitaly Umansky, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, PAGCOR","focusai_location":"Philippines, Manila","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.95), regulator (0.75), compliance_legal (0.7), operator_casino (0.9), investor_analyst (0.98), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Melco iGaming Strategy?","query":"What specific B2B\/B2C licensing and regulatory compliance considerations would Melco face if it proceeds with an iGaming launch in the Philippines, particularly regarding PAGCOR's governance frameworks?"},{"label":"Manila Market Impact?","query":"How would Melco's potential iGaming entry or divestment alter the competitive landscape and GGR\/NGR projections for Entertainment City's integrated resorts, considering existing online operators?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16338,153],"tags":[19841,665,24841,24804],"class_list":["post-777046857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-asia-news","category-igaming-news","tag-city-of-dreams-manila","tag-melco","tag-seaport","tag-the-philippines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777046857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777046857"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777046857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777046867,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777046857\/revisions\/777046867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777023510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777046857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777046857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777046857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}