Chinese VIPs out: Manila casinos race to serve robust demand from local market

Chinese high rollers are out, at least for one casino operator in the Philippines.

For Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. (TRLE), the focus now is on getting “a wider range of customers” through the doors of the $2 billion Manila Bay Resorts, which is expected to open in December 2016.

Matt Hurst, executive vice president of casino operations and marketing at Tiger Resorts, told Business World that the Chinese market is still an important part of their business model, but the company—along with other operators of integrated resorts in the Philippines—are working to diversify their customer base to “serve robust demand from the local market.”

“We still have a lot of interest from big players from Macau and junkets from Indonesia and Southeast Asia. That will be an important part of the business, but certainly less focused,” Hurst told the business news outlet.