Courts | Bangsil vs Wynn hearing postponed

The hearing yesterday for a lawsuit by a Philippine gaming regulator against Wynn Macau has been postponed until January 30, 2018.

Rogelio Yusi Bangsil Jr, a former executive at Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), a state-owned gaming company and casino regulator, is suing Wynn Macau over an unlawful and “wrongful” disclosure of his personal data.

The former gaming regulator was named in a report commissioned by a U.S. law firm in 2011, regarding an alleged improper relationship between Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada and Philippine gaming officials.

The report had relied on personal information transferred from Wynn Macau to a party outside of the MSAR, and Bangsil claims that the leaked information tarnished his professional integrity and damaged his career.

According to a court document dated November 3, 2016 and reviewed by the Times last month, the hearing had been scheduled for yesterday (June 22).

A representative of the Court of First Instance said yesterday that the hearing had been cancelled, but was not able to disclose the reason for the cancellation.

The Times was informed that the hearing has been postponed until next year on account of Bangsil’s lawyer having fallen unwell and being unable to attend the session.

According to the Macau Courts website, the relevant case number is no longer assigned to the Bangsil vs Wynn Macau hearing.

In an interview with the Times last month, Bangsil said that he was seeking an apology from the company as well as unspecified financial compensation.

The report wasn’t the only incident that may have tarnished Bangsil’s career. In 2012, Philippine legislators called for Bangsil’s dismissal based on his alleged failure to spot a cheating scam at Pagcor-run casinos that cost the government USD3.7 million.