Hann Casino Resort in Clark, in the Philippines, has recently started operations under its Philippine Inland Gaming Operator (PIGO) licence, with the offering of live table games, the director of slots at the property, Cheryl Tiglao, said on Wednesday.

“For table games, it was launched already, but it’s more of a soft launch for now,” Ms Tiglao said during a panel session of the conference segment of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2024 casino industry trade show in Macau.

“When it comes to slots, we’re still in the process. We’re targeting by late next quarter,” she added.

The soft launch of PIGO table operations at Hann casino occurred less than a month ago, Ms Tiglao told GGRAsia.

As for slots, the company is planning to make available a total of 100 units for PIGO play, she added.

PIGO was flagged as a licensing category during the Covid-19 period, allowing land-based casino operators in the Philippines to offer online gambling services to the domestic market during a period when pandemic-related restrictions prevented players in the country from visiting casinos. The PIGO regime has continued in the post-pandemic period.

As the PIGO acronym suggests, such licences are for online gambling services for the domestic market, in contrast to so-called ‘POGO’ licences – Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator permits – for services aimed at players overseas. The latter licences came under scrutiny in recent years and are now called Internet Gaming Licences (IGLs).

Unlike traditional online gambling that relies on server-based random number generators, PIGO games must be connected to physical gaming machines or tables specifically run by the PIGO licensee for that purpose: that is why PIGO is technically known as a form of ‘remote gambling’.

Hann Casino Resort, formerly known as the Widus Hotel and Casino, relaunched in December 2021 under the new branding. The property is owned and managed by Hann Philippines Inc.