Belle seeks gaming license for 2nd casino resort

MANILA, Philippines — Belle Corp., one of the portfolio investments of SM Investments Corp., hopes to secure a gaming license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. this year to develop its second integrated resort and casino in the country.

Belle, through its gaming-focused subsidiaries under Premium Leisure Corp. (PLC), filed last year an application for a gaming license to develop an integrated resort in the former American air base in Clark, Pampanga.

“We need to get the license first, hopefully within the year. We already have a letter of no objection,” Belle president and CEO Armin Raquel Santos told The STAR.

“The ball’s in their court. So we’ll see,” he said.

Belle will get an operator for the planned hotel and casino in Clark should it successfully secure a license.

Belle chairman Willy Ocier told The STAR that developing the project would take around two years.

Ocier said the project would be smaller than the $1-billion City of Dreams Manila opened in 2015.

He said investment for the planned Clark integrated resort is between $200 million and $300 million.

Belle is a co-licensee and owner of the land where City of Dreams is located.

The company’s integrated resort in Entertainment City is being leased long-term to Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp., which holds an operating agreement with PLC subsidiary PremiumLeisure and Amusement Inc.

Bullish on the gaming sector’s resilience, Belle is committed to creating value for stakeholders through deliberate investments and expansion.

The move to develop an integrated resort in Clark underscores Belle’s intent to cement its gaming sector position, while contributing to the nation’s economic development through tourism.

“We envision this new business to be a new source of growth and stability in the years to come,” Raquel Santos said.

Raquel Santos said that Clark’s strategic location, with accessibility to major foreign tourist markets such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, strengthens its appeal as a gaming and tourism hub.

Belle also continues to explore and pursue related ventures and high-growth opportunities in the gaming space that will enhance shareholder value.