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Boracay vs Manila casinos: how KABAN compares

27 Sep 20264 min read

Until September 2026, anyone who wanted a casino in the Philippines went to Manila. Boracay now offers something different. Here is how the two compare.

Boracay: KABAN Hotel and Casino

KABAN is a boutique hotel-casino: an 88-room hotel with a casino floor of about 2,000 square metres at Station 0, on Boracay's quiet northern end. Casino.org reports 150 slot machines and 10 live-dealer tables. It is built for a beach holiday with an evening at the tables, not for a gaming-focused trip.

Manila: the integrated resorts

Manila's casinos are integrated resorts: several hotels, shopping, restaurants and entertainment around much larger gaming floors.

  • Entertainment City, Parañaque: Solaire Resort Entertainment City (Bloomberry Resorts), City of Dreams Manila (Melco Resorts, which set aside plans to sell its stake in February 2026) and Okada Manila, which opened in December 2016 as a US$2.4 billion development.
  • Newport City, Pasay: Newport World Resorts, formerly Resorts World Manila, opened in 2009 as the first integrated resort in the Philippines.
  • Quezon City: Solaire Resort North, which opened in May 2024.
  • Coming: Westside Resort in Entertainment City, the new name revealed in February 2026 for a development still under construction.

Which to choose

  • Choose Boracay if the beach is the main event and the casino is one night out. The floor is small, the crowd is mostly holidaymakers, and you are 20 to 25 minutes from White Beach.
  • Choose Manila if gaming is the reason for the trip. You get far more tables and machines, shows and restaurants, and several resorts within a short ride of each other.

Flights between Manila and Caticlan or Kalibo take about an hour, so it is easy to do both. See our guide to planning your Boracay visit.

Sources: Casino.org (15 Sep 2026), Wikipedia, Gambling in Metro Manila, GGRAsia, Asia Gaming Brief (13 Feb 2026), Inside Asian Gaming (14 Feb 2026).

Keep reading

Boracay casino news: September 2026 roundupKABAN opens at Station 0, a grand launch is set for October, and what is still pending elsewhere on the island. Hotels near KABAN and Station 0: where to stay in north BoracayFour resorts within easy reach of Boracay's first casino, from KABAN's own hotel to the big names on Punta Bunga. Casino rules in the Philippines: what tourists need to knowMinimum age, what ID to bring, who is not allowed in, and the house rules that vary from casino to casino. Responsible gaming in the Philippines: self-exclusion and where to get helpHow PAGCOR's self-exclusion and family exclusion programmes work, and who to call if gambling stops being fun. Boracay Newcoast casino: what we know so farA US$300 million boutique resort from the company behind Newport World Resorts, with construction planned for 2026 and no opening date yet. May casino na ba sa Boracay? Ang dapat mong malaman tungkol sa KABANOo. Nagbukas ang KABAN Hotel and Casino sa Station 0 noong 16 Setyembre 2026. Narito ang mga pangunahing detalye. KABAN Hotel and Casino is open: the confirmed factsBoracay's first hotel-casino soft-opened on 16 September at Station 0. What five news reports agree on, and where they differ. Station 0 explained: Boracay's new northern hubBefore Stations 1, 2 and 3, there is now a Station 0. What it is, where it is, and what is being built there. From ban to KABAN: how Boracay finally got a casinoA $550 million proposal, a presidential veto, a six-month closure and a boutique opening. The short history. Boracay's first casino is open: what visitors need to knowEntry rules, what to bring, and why the beach is still the main event. Planned casinos in Boracay: Newcoast, Kaban and what is actually openThree proposals, one regulator, and a lot of confusion. A plain summary of each project. Boracay's "casino past": what existed before, and why it disappearedA licence, a closure and a moratorium. How the island spent years with plans but no floor.

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