The Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp. has been ordered by a court of appeals to issue a provisional gaming license to Waterfront Philippines Inc., which applied in 2008 to develop an integrated resort in Manila’s Entertainment City. Though the company met all the regulator’s requirements, including the payment of a $100 million deposit, PAGCOR declined to issue the license. Even now, Waterfront says it expects the battle to go to the country’s Supreme Court.
In a ruling last month, the court of appeals reaffirmed an earlier ruling, which upheld an August 2017 ruling that compelled PAGCOR to issue a provisional license in favor of Waterfront’s proposed Grand Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
A report in the Manila Standard pointed out that while PAGCOR failed to act on Waterfront’s application, it approved similar applications by Resorts World Manila, City of Dreams, Solaire Resort and Casino and Okada Manila.
The April ruling also included “moral and exemplary damages” of US$3,850 to Waterfront.
