Leading Philippines junket operator Dowinn Group has confirmed to Inside Asian Gaming that it is the South Korean partner set to join billionaire Filipino businessman Manuel Villar Jr in developing and running two casinos in Las Piñas, in the southern part of Metro Manila.
Dowinn, which operates VIP Clubs in multiple integrated resorts in Manila and Clark, has been named as Strategic Alliance Partner for the project in collaboration with Villar’s Vertex Entertainment and Resort Corp.
Local media outlet Philstar reported earlier this week that the casinos will form part of a new master planned mixed-use estate called Villar City, with the casino projects alone to cost around US$1 billion. The first of the two casinos will be built on the 18,000 square-meter shopping complex Vista Mall Global South, Philstar said, and be operated by a South Korean partner now confirmed to be Dowinn Group. The casino will target international high-rollers as well as local players, according to reports.
Dowinn told IAG that the full project will comprise “casinos, hotels, theme parks as well as various other exciting components which will make this new project an iconic integrated resort within Metro Manila.”
Villar Jr previously explained to Philstar that Villar City will extend its reach across 15 cities or 3,500 hectares in total, with the recently opened 10-kilometer long Villar Avenue to serve as the main artery of Villar City.
“This is going to be a work of a lifetime – even beyond my lifetime – because of its sheer size,” he said. “I won’t be able to see it through its full completion, but it would be a proud moment for all of us here now to say that we are the pioneers of Villar City.”
The full masterplan envisions the 15 satellite cities – which will include a modern CBD, Tech Valley, a university town and a premier lifestyle hub – being connected via a carefully planned road network linking to major thoroughfares.
“We will open the Brittany Hotel here, hopefully by December this year,” Villar told Philstar. “We will also build a golf course nearby, a church, a coliseum where local and foreign artists can perform concerts, as well as a casino. And that’s just one portion of Villar City. We have a lot more ambitious plans in the pipeline that will benefit the Filipino people.”
Aside from its VIP Clubs, Dowinn Group also operates its own casino in Rizal Park and will be opening another at Manila’s Heritage Hotel, currently under renovation, later this year.
