Any resort casino project with a couple billion dollars invested into it is likely going to attract the attention of many people. “The bigger, the better” cannot be understated when companies are hoping to draw in countless amounts of people to spend millions of dollars gambling, drinking and sleeping the night away. Months and even years of planning occur before the first brick is put down. But with the Manila Bay Resorts project, it finally looks like all systems are finally go.
Lofty Aspirations for Casino Domination
The Manila Bay Resorts project is planning to take the Philippines by storm in 2015. At one point the project was scheduled for a 2014 completion date but it now looks like everything is on track to be done in 2015. With a generous year and a half to go until that date, the project promises to be the biggest integrated resort and casino in the country.
The Manila Bay Resort will compromise a 44-hectare complex which will house three hotels at 15 stories high. Those wanting the fanciest and loftiest view will likely opt for the six-star hotel which claims to have the biggest casino in the Philippines with 3,000 slot machines and more than 500 table games all spread out over a 30,000 square meter floor space.
There’s a Small Town Inside My Casino!
In addition to the massive six-star hotel, the two other hotels at the Manila Bay Resort will have something for just about everyone. A second luxury hotel with 960 rooms will be available along with a smaller (i.e. budget) hotel with 500 rooms. The smaller hotel is gearing towards being “family oriented” so mommy and daddy can have a few drinks while the kids are transfixed by the flashing lights and hundreds of other things to do.
The hotels are joined by two shopping malls, cinemas, spa facilities, amusement center, concert hall and, of course, restaurants with quick and fine dining options. Some of the restaurants will come from Michelin-starred chefs across the world. For those that can’t imagine living anywhere else, residential properties are also planned. Masahiro Terada, president of Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment, said, “We plan Manila Bay Resort to be the largest resort to outperform Macau.”
If You Build It, They Will Blow Their Bankrolls
One of the biggest draws of the Manila Bay Resort is definitely with how many people it will attract both locally and internationally. Setting your sights as one of the biggest resorts in the world will no doubt bring in a lot of attention. The project has the potential to create as many as 15,000 jobs for countless Filipinos. Because of Manila’s proximity to several countries, the resort is likely going to compete with other popular gaming destinations. But with many high rollers looking to spend time in the Philippines, Manila’s prime location is an advantage. Flights from China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries are only a few hours away from where Manila Bay Resort will be built. “We are on schedule. We are very happy with the progress in the construction of the Manila Bay Resort project,” said Terada.
Trouble in Paradise
Though all the pieces are in place for the Manila Bay Resort project to dominate the resort scene, there is a potential roadblock on the path to 2015. Kazuo Okada and his company Universal Entertainment (which Tiger Resort falls under) are facing some legal battles in the Philippines that could drastically halt the project. Okada is facing bribery and anti-dummy charges in the country which, if found guilty, would cause his casino license to be revoked. Considering how heavily invested the tycoon is in the project, a revoked license would strip a primary source of funding from it.
However, Terada seems confident everything will be alright. In fact, Tiger Resort already has a provisional license to construct and operate the casino. Though a full license will have to wait until after the matter with Okada is settled, the Manila Bay Resort is sure to become a premiere gaming destination when it is finished in 2015.
