Vertex Entertainment & Resort Corporation, a gaming subsidiary of Philippine business magnate Manuel Paolo A Villar-owned Prime Asset Ventures, is planning to build two new casinos in Manila. Manuel Villar Jr., who is said to be the second richest man in the Philippines, announced that the two new casinos would be built as part of a massive real estate project called Villar City, inside the premises of Metro Manila. The Villar City will span roughly 8.6 acres or 3.5 hectares of land.

It is interesting to note here that Villar will not be alone in the planned real estate project. For at least one of the two casinos, Vertex Entertainment & Resort Corp. partner with an entity from South Korea. According to emerging media reports, the deal with the South Korean partner has been already completed. Dowinn Group, a well-known operator of VIP Clubs in South Korea, has been identified as the partner for the casino project.

There are a number of reasons behind’s Vertex Entertainment’s choice of partnering with Dowinn Group. One of the main reasons is that South Korean tourists have a great impact on the Philippines’ hospitality & entertainment industry. In fact, South Korea is among the countries with the highest number of tourists to the Philippines.

According to preliminary estimates, the new casino project will cost more than US$1 billion to investors. In addition, there will be a massive shopping project called Vista Mall Global South, where the first gambling-friendly property will be situated. The casino inside the shopping project will span across 80 hectares of land at Las Piñas, in the southwest part of the National Capital Region (NCR).

The second casino, which will also be located at Las Piñas, will reportedly be larger in size. Unfortunately, other details about the casinos remain unknown.

Commenting on the project, Villar said, “This is going to be a work of a lifetime – even beyond my lifetime – because of its sheer size. I won’t be able to see it through to 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 Villar City project, which will consist of the central business district, university zone, a theme park, and two casinos, will encompass more than a dozen communities including Bacoor, Dasmarinas, Taguig, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Muntinlupa, and San Pedro.