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From ban to KABAN: how Boracay finally got a casino

24 Sep 20264 min read

KABAN's opening ends a story that began almost a decade ago with a much bigger plan.

2017: the Galaxy proposal

Galaxy Entertainment, one of Macau's six major gaming operators, proposed a Las Vegas-style integrated resort on Boracay. Casino.org puts the project at $550 million, aimed at visitors from South Korea and China, and PAGCOR issued it a provisional licence.

2018: blocked, then closed

Then-President Rodrigo Duterte refused to allow it. "You know the billionaires? They want to build casinos there. I did not allow it," he said, as quoted by Casino.org. The island was then closed for a six-month environmental rehabilitation that repaired its sewage systems and restored the beaches, but froze major gaming investment.

A different approach

The moratorium on new Boracay casino development was lifted in 2021, and Galaxy later told investors it was not returning. Casino.org reports that the Marcos administration, while taking a hard line on offshore gaming operators, has been more permissive toward domestic casinos.

2026: a boutique opening

What opened in September 2026 is far smaller than the 2017 plan: an 88-room hotel with a PAGCOR-licensed casino floor of about 2,000 square metres at Station 0. Casino.org expects it to be the first of several small boutique casinos on the island. No other operator has announced an opening date.

Sources: Casino.org (15 Sep 2026), PAGCOR, Philippine News Agency, BusinessMirror (30 Aug 2021).

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