The story you will read in this column happened more than fifty years ago. It was in 1970, and if I remember it right it was in the month of May when Marisol Manor Hotel was leased by the late lawyer Rogelio Z. Bangsil, a native of Magalang. The hotel owner was his town mate Loreto Feliciano wife of Bob Stewart aka Uncle Bob who started Channel 7 which is now being operated by Atty.Felipe Gozon and partners. My late cousin, Nonong Lumanlan was Marisol’s comptroller and they needed a public relation man, so I was hired. Later the owner discovered that I have what it takes so I became the general manager and concurrently the PR guy for the casino.
There were other local casinos in operation then in Angeles City. One was at the basement of Oasis hotel and was managed by the late Ed Antonio, husband of Sylvia Nepomuceno, the eldest daughter of then Governor Francisco Nepomuceno and Congresswoman Juanita Lumanlan. The skyline casino was operated by the late businessman Rod Feliciano and the Kontiki Casino was managed by the late Trinidad Lazatin with the late Angeles Mayor Carmelo‘Tarzan’ Lazatin as a partner.
In those years we put shows every weekend and we featured performers like Pilita Corrales, Carmen Soriano, Carmen Patena, Maya Valdez, Aldeguer sisters, Eddie Gutierrez, Jonathan Potenciano and Victor Wood among others. I was the one who contracted the entertainers and I traveled a lot to Manila and haggled with their talent fees. I remember the casino paid Pilita Corrales P7,000 for four shows. The Angeles and Pampanga elites were then our regular patrons. ( If Atsing Lydia, wife of the late Atty Bangsil and sons like JB, Ronald and Paw the will definitely journey back to memory lane. Good memories anyway are always coming like a yo-yo.
PRESENT TIME: The pandemic seemingly cascaded fast and life is getting back to normal. Omicron is not as deadly as Delta. Patrons are now queuing to the casinos. (I am one of those). Before the pandemic I used to make some weekend trips to Metro Manila and always in search of luck on their electronic bandits, the slot machines. (Btw. I am only small time bettor and only while my time just like those many seniors enjoying moments and slowing down the possibility of Alzheimer’s, while hoping to hit it big). The City of Dreams of the Sy family, Solaire of Ricky Razon and Okada now locked in ownership controversy issues can compare in elegance like those you can find in Las Vegas or in Macao. Now big casinos are in Clark Freeport, the one adjacent to Royce Hotel Casino, Heights Casino and the Hann Casino. There are smaller ones like Fontana, Fortune Gate and Capital Wise at Xenia.
HIGH LIFE. Big stakes. Top entertainment. The danger lies when people can no longer control their addiction to gambling. Some don't only lost their shirts, so to speak, but loses dear life, in the case of someone who made a killing spree in Resort World casino few years back. Remember? Don’t be afraid to go the casinos if you can afford it, and if you have discipline. There are two reasons why gamblers lost their shirts. First, they don't know how to bet.( Meaning, they control their bettings, when the house is having a down streak, and bet more when the house is lucky). Second, most players eat like birds and shit like elephants and many are always victims of their own greed.( They don't quit despite having sizeable winnings, thinking they can have more only to discover later they lost everything including their capital)
Retro: Casino gambling was introduced by Ted Lewin, an American expat sometime in the fifties. Towards the sixties and seventies the Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Boulevard, was dotted by casinos. They were strategically located along with the famous night clubs like Bayside, Bulakena and Amihan. The big casinos then were Continental, Ambassador, Chrysantemum, La Sirena and few more others. Some of the operators were Nicanor'Junior' De Guzman, Carlos Magdaluyo, Ramon Joveros and Rodolfo Ilustre.
The Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation is a state owned gambling corporation established during the time of the late President Corazon Aquino. Her relatives and friends changed in leadership in running PAGCOR. And behind all these appointments was her brother, former Congresman Jose 'Peping' Cojuangco. Initially it didn't make good, till the appointment of Alice Reyes as chair and retired air force General Romy David. During their watch, PAGCOR started making billions. It also started expanding to other cities in the country, including the PAGCOR-run casino in Balibago in Angeles.