International Gaming Research Paper The Philippines

International Gaming The Philippines - Research Paper Example International Gaming Research Paper – The Philippines Since 1990, Manila has experienced explosive growth in casino development from major players such as Hyatt Hotels and Casinos, Tropicana Casino, The Belle Grand Manila Bay, and the Pharaoh Hotel; to name only a few. Casino development has occurred not only as a product of de-regulation in this industry, but by using government prowess and marketing to lure foreign investment into the country. Unlike many other Asian nations, the government regulatory environment designed to control casino gambling and development is much more liberal, as the government of The Philippines is an electoral system similar to the democratic structure of the United States. This liberal system designed to foster commercial development and support has contributed to rapid expansion of the casino gaming industry in the country. There are difficulties in this industry in the Philippines, however, associated with fragmented regulatory systems designed to control gaming operations. House Representative Danilo Su arez, frustrated with the fragmentation of existing regulatory bodies, was able to foster House support for the creation of a National Gaming Commission that would serve as the singular body to control casino licensing and building cohesion with the disjointed legal systems that currently monitor gaming. It was only recently that Manila achieved an organized system of regulatory authorities that have ensured reasonable provisions are developed to control casino operations, thereby providing gamblers with just gaming systems. There are also social impacts of the gaming industry in The Philippines that cause problems with ensuring further development of more casino resorts in the country. The Philippines is a collectivist nation, meaning that citizens maintain strong connections to group membership and family membership, whereby some of the most fundamental values of society are kinship and education. In 2008, officials and student picketers from the Angeles University Foundation held a picketing protest outside of a proposed site for a new casino, which would be built directly next to the Angeles University (Casino City 1). This protest was so massive in magnitude that it even led to a restraining order against the casino operator, Emaja Internet Gaming. This illustrates that there is much inconsistency in social values about the potential benefits of gaming, which could serve to act as negative public relations that could impede tourist revenues. Furthermore, in 2012, a $2 billion entertainment complex known as Universal Entertainment was under investigation for bribery allegations, including 16 different members of the regulatory Commission alleged to be involved in taking $5 million in payments in receipt of regulatory favors (Casino City 1). This has very large-scale implications for a country that is having difficulty in creating cohesive regulatory structures when even members of government seem to continue to be impelled to take active involvement in bri bery. For a nation that is attempting to boost its reputation as a hot spot for tourism, situations such as these continue to provide negative publicity that could erode a competitive marketing position internationally. The Philippines is also creating new regulatory bodies for the control of Internet