Okada eyes 2015 opening of $2-B casino

MANILA, Philippines - Tiger Resorts & Leisure Corp. of Japanese gaming tycoon Kazuo Okada is raring to roar ahead with its $2-billion megacasino project in Entertainment City despite the absence of a local partner.

Tiger Resorts officials said the first phase of Manila Bay Resorts project in Parañaque is expected to start commercial operations by 2016, with a possibility of it commencing at a much earlier date.

“We will try our best to open by end-2015,” said Matt Hurst, Tiger Resorts executive vice president for casino operations and marketing.

He said Tiger Resorts is currently pursuing its hunt for a local partner to be able to comply with the country’s foreign ownership rule.

The Okada Group is barred from starting commercial operations of the $2-billion megacasino project without a local partner after its earlier team-up with Century Properties Group Inc. fell apart.

“We’re working very hard on that and we understand the situation and we’re confident that in the near future, we can have a positive announcement. The chairman (Okada) is talking to people who are interested, I’m sure they’ll bring value to the project so we just have to find the right mixture,” Hurst said.

Adrian Ort, Tiger Resorts senior vice president and general manager of hotel operations, said the first phase of the project would include the development of a casino and two hotel towers with 500 rooms each.

He said the hotel brands to be put up under the first phase would be operated by Tiger Resorts. The gaming component of the project, meanwhile, will have 500 tables and 3,000 slot machines.

“We need to have accommodations first so we’re putting up the hotels first,” Ort said.

Hurst said the second phase of development, which would likely commence within a year after the first phase is completed, would consist of non-gaming structures which mean “more retail, more hotels and wellness clinics.”

“We’re looking to push more on the non-gaming side of things, attraction such as food and beverage offering, nightclub and beach club. But the majority (of revenues) will still be casino,” He said.

Tiger Resorts is looking to employ 8,000 people during the first phase development.

The entire Manila Bay Resorts project is expected to generate some 12,000 jobs, 95 percent of which would be Filipinos, Ort said.

 “Operating in the Philippines is an advantage because you have  a lot of qualified people. Filipinos are well educated, they speak English and naturally friendly. The number of people is never really a problem, its finding the right people,” he said.

The Okada Group bagged one of four licenses to operate a casino complex in the 120-hectare Entertainment City, which is being groomed as the Philippines’ answer to gaming hubs in Singapore, Las Vegas and Macau.

Port mogul Enrique Razon opened last year the $1.2-billion Solaire Resort and Casino while SM Group’s Belle Corp. and Macau casino giant Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. will start commercial operations of the $1.3-billion City of Dreams Manila later this year. The $1.1-billion Resorts World Bayshore of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., meanwhile, is expected to be last licensee to open by 2018.

 “We want to do something different. We’re not going to copy what others are doing. Instead, we’re throwing in our own approach to service and we believe we are strong and experienced enough to find our own service style and our own products that we want to offer,” Ort said.