Philippines casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corporation has reportedly revealed that it would be interested in opening a facility in Japan should proposed enabling legislation make it through the nation’s upper House Of Councillors legislative body.
According to a report from The Standard newspaper, the revelation came from Enrique Razon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Manila-listed Bloomberry Resorts Corporation, just hours after Japan’s lower House Of Representatives ratified the Bill For The Promotion Of Integrated Resort Facilities, which is better known as the “Casino Bill”.
“Once a law is passed [in Japan], that would be a very interesting market but we don’t know yet the final form and terms,” Razon told the newspaper. “Japan will be a very good market.”
Bloomberry Resorts Corporation operates the Solaire Resort And Casino in the 39-acre Entertainment City development and expanded into South Korea in 2015 with the purchase of the Jeju Sun Hotel And Casino. Razon told the newspaper that the number of Chinese nationals visiting?the Manila property significantly increased in October and November due to improving relations between the governments of the two nations.
“In the Solaire [Resort And Casino], Chinese arrivals into the gaming facility in November grew 130% and 80% percent in October,” Razon told The Standard. “You more or less safely attribute that directly to our improved relations with China.”
The newspaper reported that the number of Chinese visitors to the Philippines had been adversely affected last year by an increased anti-corruption drive led by President Xi Jinping along with the pair’s territorial dispute in the South China Sea while Razon explained that his firm was preparing for next week’s opening of the rival Okada Manila integrated casino resort by making sure its Solaire Resort And Casino remained “lean, mean and effective”.
“We will see first how the market grows with the new supply and we have to balance that,” Razon told the newspaper.