The Philippines in the western Pacific Ocean loves to gamble. The country has around 50 casinos / slot halls, which are all regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport on the northeastern tip of the country, however, operates under its own rules with the casinos in this area reserved for hotel guests, thus excluding most locals from playing.
Online gambling is also legal, but the single company granted permission to run these sites, Philweb, has not done any development, so Philippian players must flock to foreign sites should they wish to gamble online.