Daesik Han, chairman and chief executive of casino developer Hann Philippines Inc, says his company is “much ahead” of competitors in Clark, Pampanga, a two-hour drive from the Philippine capital, Manila.
Hann Philippines runs the Hann Casino Resort at Clark Freeport Zone, and is developing the Hann Reserve property at New Clark City, in the province of Pampanga. The first facility at Hann Reserve – a golf course designed by former world number-one-ranked golfer Nick Faldo – is expected to open by the end of this year.
In an interview with GGRAsia, Mr Han (pictured) said his group had a “very strong first-mover advantage” in the Clark market, taking into consideration its customer base and the non-gaming offering the company is currently developing there.
In terms of the Clark market’s outlook, Philippine-listed Belle Corp has confirmed it has “applied for a gaming licence” there. Belle’s current land-based gaming interests see its subsidiary Premium Leisure Corp getting a share of gaming revenue from Philippine casino resort City of Dreams Manila, run by a unit of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd.
Mr Han suggested that the development of more casino resorts in Clark could eventually create a “much better proposition” for the region as a domestic and international destination.
The executive however brushed aside concerns over increased competition: “I don’t think anybody can compete with us, as we are much ahead of other [operators in Clark].”
“We have the Hann Reserve project, and we are about to deliver the first facility of this project by the end of this year,” the CEO added. “Then, everything is in the pipeline to open gradually in the coming years.”
Referring to the group’s customer base, Mr Han said: “Domestically, our target is Pampanga and the surrounding provinces, everything north of Metro Manila.”
Patrons from Metro Manila make about “10 percent” of all customers at Hann Casino Resort but that figure is likely to grow as the company expands its offering, noted the executive.
“We have to provide something different that customers cannot get in Metro Manila, to give them a reason to come to Clark,” stated Mr Han.
“That is the biggest challenge we have encountered right now. But when this [first] golf course opens, I’m pretty certain that we can get more customers from Metro Manila than what we have right now,” he added.
Regarding international customers, currently about “90 percent” originate from South Korea, followed by visitors from Japan and the United States, said the CEO.
Expanding reach
Mr Han also stated the company was working on “expanding” its source markets for patrons. “We started getting these casual junkets from different places in Southeast Asia, from places like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore,” he told GGRAsia.
According to the company, Hann Reserve will feature PGA-affiliated player development facilities alongside three 18-hole championship golf courses.
“I’m confident that this is going to offer the best golf courses in the Philippines. We plan to host different international tournaments, which will give us a much bigger brand exposure, not only in the Philippines but also across different regions,” stated Mr Han.
Clark, a former military base near Angeles City, is the home of Clark International Airport. Aside the Hann Casino Resort, the Clark Freeport Zone already has a cluster of gaming properties.
The executive also said the company needed to “find a way to embrace the online segment”, as it tried “properly” to address that growing segment. Aside from a licence to offer live table and slot games, Hann Philippines also has a permit to promote eCasino games
The Philippine gaming sector – including non-casino operations – generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of nearly PHP410.5 billion in 2024, up 24.8 percent year-on-year. That was based on preliminary data cited in late February by Alejandro Tengco, chairman of the country’s regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
The land-based segment was the largest contributor to GGR last year, accounting for 49 percent, followed by the electronic games sector at 38 percent.
The preliminary data showed that GGR from eGames in 2024 rose by 309.2 percent year-on-year, to PHP135.7 billion, while that of licensed casinos fell by 2.7 percent, to PHP201.8 billion.
Mr Han stated: “We’ve launched our online business last year, but we failed … as the approach was really kind of from land based, a very conventional approach.”
He added: “We are somehow reshuffling the team, and we’re trying to have collaboration with different companies.”
The executive said his group had received approval from Pagcor to launch a “live slot online game and a RNG game”. The latter was a reference to other electronic gaming products using random number generator technology for game results, which can include electronic table games.
Mr Han said he was expecting to launch the online live slot “soon”, followed by the RNG game at a later date.
