Government Bans Employees from Soon-to-open Casino over Conflict of Interest

The Mayor of Quezon City in the Philippines, Josefina Belmonte, has declared that all city government officials and employees are strictly forbidden from entering the forthcoming Solaire Resort North Casino. This establishment is being developed by Bloomberry Resorts Corp., a company listed in the Philippines within the jurisdiction of Quezon City.

The Manila Standard reported that Belmonte mentioned the city administration’s collaboration with Bloomberry to compile a comprehensive database of photographs of all city government personnel. This initiative aims to effectively enforce the entry ban. Belmonte also indicated that this list would encompass approximately 19,000 employees.

Belmonte made these remarks during the inaugural ‘International Conference on Responsible Gambling and Gaming Addiction’ held in Quezon City. This event was supported by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the country’s gaming regulator.

The mayor elaborated that an electronic device positioned at each entrance of the Solaire Resort North casino would recognize any city government official or employee and prevent their access to the gaming area. However, Quezon City public servants would still be permitted to access other sections of the resort.

“Even if one wears a wig, a mask, or a hat, one’s face can still be detected using a very sophisticated system,” Belmonte stated, as reported by the media outlet.

Solaire Resort Opening Soon

Bloomberry recently confirmed that Solaire Resort North is set to open its doors on May 25. The company describes Solaire Resort North as a $1.0-billion development spanning 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres), featuring 526 rooms and suites. The casino is slated to offer 2,669 electronic gaming machines and 163 gaming tables distributed across four levels, according to Bloomberry.

In April, Enrique Razon, Bloomberry’s chairman and chief executive, projected that Solaire Resort North would achieve full operational capacity by 2026.

A March memo from Maybank Securities Inc. highlighted that Solaire Resort North could contribute nine per cent of Bloomberry’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) for 2024 and 14 per cent of the annual total by 2025 as the property scales its business operations.

Bloomberry operates the Solaire Resort and Casino located in Entertainment City within the Metro Manila area. The company also manages the Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju, South Korea. The company recently revealed that it has finally managed to reach a settlement agreement in its 10-year legal dispute with Global Gaming Asset Management (GGAM) Philippines LLC, a company with which it previously had a cooperation agreement.

The dispute arose because Bloomberry terminated the advantageous relationship six months after opening, alleging that GGAM Philippines did not meet the contractual obligations, particularly the commitment to attract high-rolling gamblers to the facility. Moreover, issues were also raised concerning the casino’s layout and design.