It’s no secret that the Philippines is hoping to capture a slice of the world’s casino market.
In 2002, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) started turning a stretch of reclaimed land along Manila Bay into what is now known as the Entertainment City—the Philippines attempt to create a Las Vegas Strip-like cluster of casino resorts.
The zone is now hosting three integrated resorts, Bloomberry Resort’s Solaire Resort and Casino, Melco’s City of Dreams Manila, and the newly opened Okada Manila. A fourth casino, Genting Group’s West Side City Resorts World, is targeting a 2020 launch.
Next week, four executives from the Entertainment City will sit down at the ASEAN Gaming Summit to discuss the key opportunities and challenges faced by integrated resorts in the Philippines and their operators.
Geoff Andres, property president at City of Dreams Manila, will join Okada Manila President Steve Wolstenholme, Resorts World Manila COO Stephen Reilly, and Solaire Resort and Casino President and COO Thomas Arasi at the Conrad Manila in the Philippines for a panel on “Realizing the Vision for Entertainment City.”
The four are expected to talk about how they are working together to fulfill the potential of Entertainment City to provide a rounded family entertainment offering, while also contributing to socio-economic growth and increasing the size of the pie for all.
The panel is also set to discuss the impact of the proposed developments outside of Manila, such as in Mactan and Clark. Agricultural products company Calata Corp. is eyeing to build the $1.4-billion Mactan Leisure City casino in Cebu City, featuring three hotels, a casino and entertainment complex as well as commercial, retail and conference facilities and a yacht club.
Aside from the four executives, the ASEAN Gaming Summit is also a meeting place for over 200 of Asia’s top land-based and online casino, sports betting and lottery companies, covering the upcoming regulatory developments and market opportunities in ASEAN’s gaming market.
