Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING JULY 2018 18 COVER STORY Resorts World Manila’s Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly. T HE tragic events of 2 June 2017 at Resorts World Manila sent shock waves across the Philippines and the gaming world. But the attack didn’t change the basic trajectory for the Philippines’ first integrated resort or the broader market. Gaming in the Philippines continues to show robust growth while RWM continues to lose ground to its Entertainment City IR rivals. The incident prompted RWM to modify its approach to reviving the property as its parent company creates its own Entertainment City resort. Owned by Manila-listed Travellers International Hotel Group – a joint venture between local conglomerate Alliance Global Group and Genting Group’s Hong Kong arm – RWM obtained the first private casino operating license from Philippine regulator Pagcor and opened in August 2009 on 11.5 hectares across from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Constantly building, RWM grew to more than 300 gaming tables and nearly 1,800 machines plus 1,454 guest rooms under the Marriott, Maxims and Remington brands with The landscape changed abruptly in the early morning hours of 2 June last year when a lone gunman pushed past security, began shooting and set the casino ablaze, killing 36 and injuring more than 50.