Okada Manila looms as regional game-changer

With several players slugging it out for market share within Asia’s highly-competitive casino landscape, Okada Manila, the newest addition to the integrated resorts in Entertainment City, is already being touted as a game-changer.

In a statement issued on Monday, Okada Manila president Steve Wolstenholme said the newly-opened integrated resort  of Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada has the potential to compete with other gaming giants across the region.

The 44-hectare gaming resort is set to become the largest integrated entertainment resort in the country that will occupy a total floor area of 34,321 square meters, housing over 500 table games and over 3,000 electronic gaming machines. It houses a Y-shaped hotel of two wings offering a total of 993 rooms.  

It also features a dancing fountain comparable only to the Dubai Fountain and the Fountains of Bellagio, Asia’s first nightclub and indoor beach club enclosed in a dome, a high-end retail area, a world-class 3,000-square meter spa facility, and several food and beverage outlets. 

Apart from its unique features, Okada Manila takes pride in the effortless integration of the Japanese people’s respectful demeanor, passion for creativity and hunger for innovation, and the Filipinos’ hard work, hospitality and cheerful spirit, in terms of quality service.

“With these guiding principles and values, Okada Manila expects to bring people around the world together through fun and entertainment by providing unique experiences that no one else can deliver,” Wolstenholme said.

Being a massive project, the luxury resort has already contributed to local job generation by employing 22,000 workers to construct and develop the first phase. It is expected to hire 8,000 personnel to operate the casino, food and beverage, and hotel and leisure facilities of the Phase 1 development alone.

Okada, who has heavily invested in the Philippines, expects his integrated resort to be profitable in its first year of operations and give a return on his investment in three to five years as the country seeks a larger share of Asia’s gaming and tourism revenue. 

One of the early believers in the Philippines, Okada  built his fortune during the 1980s manufacturing slot machines and Japanese pachinko machines.  He is now worth $1.77 billion according to Forbes magazine.