Local residents living in Quezon City in the Philippines are now going to have to pay to enter casinos located there, thanks in no small part to a new ordinance that covers all gambling operations located in the City, and that new entry fee is causing a lot of debate with locals.
The aim of a casino entry fee, from a regulators point of view, is that it will help curb problematic gaming and will make it an experience that people will tend to plan long in advance rather than gambling on the spur of the moment.
There are of course some other parts of the world that have introduced casino entry fees, and whilst they do no go well with those that have to pay to enter a casino and then get stuck into playing the games of chance they do enjoy playing, it has been proven to be a way to reduce problem gambling.
However, many people are much more of the mind that when a casino charges an entry fee, that is purely a money making exercise, and lots of industry folk also state that it doesn’t really reduce problem gambling, for anyone with a gambling problem will pay to enter such a venue whenever they get to urge to gamble, no matter how high the entry fees are.
The proposed new fee to enter a casino or any one single maximum 24-hour period in Quezon City has been set at PHP1500, which is around $30, however an annual membership type entry fee is also on offer which will cost PHP30,000 which is around $600.
Those entry fees are only payable for residents, and those people visiting the city for a vacation for example will be exempt from paying it.
