Belle Corp has confirmed to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it is in “ongoing discussions with potential operators” regarding a provisional casino licence it says it has obtained for a casino resort in Clark, Pampagna, a two-hour drive from the capital, Manila.
A Sunday story in the Manila Standard said Belle had a licence from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), the country’s gaming regulator, for a “planned US$300-million integrated resort project in Clark Freeport”.
The news outlet said Belle was in talks with “three to four foreign casino operators, including existing partner Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, for the development”.
Belle has an interest in the City of Dreams Manila casino resort in the Philippine capital, which is run by a unit of Melco Resorts.
GGRAsia has approach Melco Resorts for comment, regarding the suggestion the Melco group has been approached by Belle about the Clark project.
Belle’s Monday filing said Sinophil Leisure and Resorts Corp and Foundation Capital Resources Inc – its gaming units under Premium Leisure Corp – had received from the Pagcor board a provisional licence “to develop and operate an integrated resort in the Clark Special Economic Zone”.
The parent firm added that Clark was “emerging” as a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism destination and as a “gaming hub” in the region.
Belle added: “To further strengthen the project’s development capabilities, the Belle group requested for the inclusion of Premium Leisure Corp and Belle, the parent company, as co-licensees, early this year.” That request was “undergoing assessment”.
The firm further noted: “We confirm that there are ongoing discussions with potential operators. Arrangements on this partnership shall be disclosed as soon as these have been agreed upon by transacting parties.”
Belle said it was targeting an official launch for the new project “within two to three years from the engagement of an operator”.
The company added: “The Belle group has planned to invest at least US$300 million in the project and expects to derive lease and share in gross gaming revenues therefrom once the property becomes operational.”
The Manila Standard mentioned the complex would be on a site spanning several hectares.
The outlet cited Armin Antonio Raquel-Santos, Belle’s president and chief executive, as saying the project would involve what the news outlet termed “a co-licensing model where the selected operator manages gaming operations while leasing the land”.
The Manila Standard added that once a partner were finalised, the company would submit a revised development plan reflecting the operator’s design and requirements.
Belle’s gaming revenue generated from its share of the casino business at City of Dreams Manila rose 12.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching PHP485.7 million (US$8.0 million), it said in a filing last month.
