Inside Asian Gaming

February 2014 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 39 In Focus analysis. Scientific Games bought WMS Gaming, Bally Technologies gobbled up SHFL entertainment, GameTech reorganized, and so on. MGM Rises to the Top Fewer participants does not detract from the noteworthy performances of some gaming boards this year. Indeed, MGMResorts International took the top spot in this year’s study, moving up from third place in the prior year and eighth place the year before that. We were impressed that MGM had a section of their proxy statement related to board diversity and their rationale for board composition. In fact, MGM was the only company to do so. MGM Resorts has set a new standard for excellence in corporate governance practices, and we applaud James Murren and the entire MGM board of directors for their diligence in corporate governance. Pinnacle Entertainment also had a strong move in governance standards, rising to second place from ninth in the prior year. Other companies appearing in the study’s top five rankings include Ameristar Casinos (third), and MTR Gaming and Nevada Gold & Casinos (tied for fifth). On the gaming vendor front, Multimedia Gaming was the top finisher, placing fourth. Table games supplier Gaming Partners International was tied for sixth place with machine giants International Game Technology (IGT), Scientific Games and Bally Technologies, all scoring 32 points. Size and Makeup The examination of chairmanship in gaming demonstrates that two-thirds of companies continue to have a chairman who is not considered “independent.” In one-third of these companies, the role of lead director has been assigned to a completely independent board member. A step in the right direction; but we would like to see a complete separation of chairman and CEO responsibilities. Half of the companies had boards comprised of an odd number MGM Resorts International 14 10 5 5 8 42 Pinnacle Entertainment 13 10 5 4 7 39 Ameristar Casinos 7 9 5 5 9 35 Multimedia Games 12 10 5 7 34 MTR Gaming 9 8 5 4 7 33 Nevada Gold & Casinos 9 10 5 3 6 33 Gaming Partners International 9 9 5 3 6 32 International Game Technology 10 10 4 8 32 Scientific Games Corporation 11 8 4 9 32 Bally Technologies 4 10 5 3 10 32 Las Vegas Sands 3 10 5 5 8 31 Carnival 7 8 5 9 29 Daktronics 6 6 5 3 9 29 Boyd Gaming 7 8 4 9 28 Empire Resorts 9 10 3 6 28 Full House Resorts 6 8 5 2 7 28 Penn National 5 8 4 10 27 Wynn Resorts 4 9 5 8 26 Churchill Downs 9 6 4 7 26 Global Cash Access Holdings 7 7 4 7 25 Isle of Capri 6 8 4 7 25 Lakes Entertainment 8 7 4 6 25 Canterbury Park 7 5 5 1 5 23 Century Casinos 6 6 5 5 22 Entertainment Gaming Asia 8 6 2 4 20 Dover Downs Entertainment 5 5 3 4 17 Size and Makeup Committee Structure Related Party Transactions Evaluation & Communication Compensation Points