Kazuo Okada, the Japanese businessman who founded Universal Entertainment, was arrested by the Philippine National Police in October 2022, according to a Japanese-language Wikipedia entry on his life and career1. The arrest followed a decision by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the country's casino regulator, not to recognize his group's right to operate and manage the Okada Manila resort1.
The dispute over the Manila property built through 2022. In May of that year, Okada and former directors were described as having occupied Okada Manila, operated by Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment, Inc. (TRLEI), forcing several TRLEI officers and employees out and carrying out what the entry calls unjust dismissals of staff1. Okada's group then continued to run and control the property1. In September 2022, PAGCOR decided not to recognize that group's operating and management rights, and the Universal Entertainment group, with the support of the Philippine National Police, enforced a resolution order and retook management control of the resort1.
The arrest was not Okada's first legal entanglement over the Manila casino. In December 2021, the Philippine Court of Appeals ordered that warrant dismissed, finding that the facts needed to justify an arrest were clearly absent and that issuing the warrant involved a grave abuse of judicial discretion1.
Okada's history with the company stretches back decades. He founded Universal Lease, a jukebox leasing business, in 1969, and the development arm that became Universal Entertainment was split off in 19791. In March 1981 he was prosecuted by the Utsunomiya District Public Prosecutors Office for a corporate tax law violation and that July received a sentence of one year in prison, suspended for three years1. He was removed from the company in 2012, which led to a court battle1. In 2018 he was arrested in Hong Kong by the Independent Commission Against Corruption over suspected money laundering tied to a 2 billion yen fund transaction and several bribery allegations, and was released on bail1.
What it means for players
Okada Manila is one of the large integrated resorts serving the Manila gaming market, and the events of 2022 concerned who controlled the property rather than its day-to-day gaming floor. The entry does not report any interruption to casino operations, changes to games, entry rules or payouts at the resort during the dispute. Players visiting Manila, whether locals, expats or visitors, would have seen the same property under a changed management structure rather than a closed venue, based on what the entry describes. For general context on how Philippine casinos are regulated and who may enter them, see the guide to gambling in the Philippines and the overview of casinos and integrated resorts in Asia.
What happens next
The entry does not report the outcome of the October 2022 arrest, any charges filed, or any court proceedings that followed it. It also does not state Okada's current legal status in the Philippines. Separately, the entry says that at an extraordinary shareholders meeting in September 2024, Okada's eldest son, Tomohiro Okada, returned to the board and immediately became representative director and president of Universal Entertainment, and that as of 2025 he holds that position1.
Sources1 sources
- 岡田和生 - Wikipedia, ja.wikipedia.org
