GGRAsia – More guest rooms top priority for Okada Manila: parent

More guest rooms top priority for Okada Manila: parent

Apr 29, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck

Japanese gaming conglomerate Universal Entertainment Corp says adding guest rooms at its Okada Manila casino resort in the Philippine capital is its “highest priority” for that venue. That is according to the English version of Universal Entertainment’s annual report for 2020, made available on the company’s website on Wednesday.

“Currently, adding… guest rooms is the highest priority of Okada Manila,” the document stated.

It also said there were plans for “expansion of the gaming area, including the addition of a casino exclusively for VIP guests,” and for “opening more restaurants, and enlarging the shopping mall in order to attract an even larger number of guests”.

The annual report did not provide further information – such as a schedule – regarding expansion at Okada Manila (pictured in a file photo). According to Okada Manila’s official website, the property currently has 993 guest rooms.

Universal Entertainment subsidiary, Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc, operates Okada Manila. The property started operating in December 2016.

Gross gaming revenue at Okada Manila fell 41.0 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, Universal Entertainment said earlier this month. Such GGR was nearly PHP5.10 billion (US$1.05 billion), compared with PHP8.64 billion in the first three months of 2020.

A number of major commercial casino operators in the Philippine capital, including Okada Manila, suspended their operations from late March this year, as part of pandemic countermeasures in Metro Manila.

Earlier this week, Universal Entertainment said Okada Manila had been authorised by the local regulator to provide online gaming services. The company added that Okada Manila was “the first among the four integrated resorts comprising Entertainment City in Metro Manila” to receive such authorisation.