The top government official in the Philippines’ most populous city says no municipal employee may enter or gamble at a new casino resort that opened last weekend.
According to the Manila Standard, Quezon City Mayor Josefina Belmonte has barred some 19,000 officials and employees from patronizing the casino at Solaire Resort North, a project of Philippines-listed Bloomberry Resorts Corp.
Belmonte disclosed the ban in comments at the International Conference on Responsible Gambling and Gaming Addiction, held in Quezon City by the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).
She said her administration has joined with Bloomberry to “create a databank of photographs of all city government personnel” to identify anyone who defies the ban. The ban will be further reinforced by electronic devices posted at every entrance of the casino to keep out government workers.
“Even if one wears a wig, a mask or a hat, one’s face can still be detected using a very sophisticated system,” she said.
Solaire Resort North is a 3.7-acre, $1 billion project with 526 hotel rooms and suites. The casino has almost 2,700 electronic gaming machines and 163 tables. Phase 1 opened May 25. In comments in April, Bloomberry Chairman and CEO Enrique Razon said he expects the new resort North to be “fully ramped up” by 2026.
According to GGRAsia, Maybank Securities has said Solaire Resort North could contribute 9 percent of Bloomberry’s 2024 gross gaming revenue and 14 percent of the 2025 annual total. Bloomberry also operates the Solaire Resort and Casino property at Entertainment City in the Metro Manila region, as well as Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju, South Korea.
