The Philippine Supreme Court has settled the dispute over the rightful ownership of the Okada Manila casino.
Universal Entertainment, the Tokyo-based gaming conglomerate, stated that the Supreme Court lifted the Status Quo Ante Order (SQAO), first issued in 2022. The SQAO ordered Universal to restore the board compensation to its 2017 agreement when Kazuo Okada held a seat.
Okada claimed that his adult children ousted him from the board after their relationship deteriorated because he was accused of poaching money from the company. Kazuo Okada’s two children, Tomohiro and Takako Okada, are now the two largest shareholders through inheritance.
In May 2022, Kazuo Okada seized control of the Okada casino resort by raiding the facility. Okada controlled the casino for almost three months before the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation ordered that he return the property to Universal and the Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Incorporated.
Kazuo Okada was eventually arrested and charged with “grave coercion” in the Philippines. Okada pleaded not guilty, and his case is ongoing.
Is Okada Casino The Biggest Casino In Entertainment City?
Okada is the largest integrated casino resort in the Philippines, with around 35,00 square meters of gaming space, 600 gaming tables, 3000 electric gaming machines, and 993 suites and villas. Okada has also been awarded a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide.
Okada is one of the four billion-dollar casino destinations comprising Entertainment City, Solaire, City of Dreams, and Westside City.
Are Online Casinos Legal In The Philippines?
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation does issue licensing for online casino operators, but they are not allowed to offer their services to the Philippine residents. Philippine legal online casinos all operate from outside the country.
Philippine gambling laws do not outlaw offshore casino gambling, but they do recommend that PH players only gamble with licensed sites operating from a trusted gaming jurisdiction.
Domestic casinos like Okada cannot offer their gaming services online as they do not possess a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator license. Even if Okada had a POGO license, they would only be allowed to offer their services to the Philippines.