Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming July 2016 16 Industry profile IAG: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where did you grow up? Mick Caban: I’m the second of four children – two boys and two girls – and was raised in a country town in Cessnock in the NSW Hunter Valley by my mother after my father died in a motorbike accident when I was four years old. Coal mines and vineyards are the local industries and many of my close family members have been involved in the coal industry. I also had uncles and grandparents who were farmers and I spent many happy times roaming around the farms trying not to get into too much mischief. The good thing about growing up in the country is the access to different activities – sport consumed my life. When I finished school at 15 I started work as an apprentice electrician at BHP in Newcastle. IAG: How did you get started in the gaming industry? MC: After I completed my apprenticeship I headed north to play cricket with West Brisbane and as soon as the cricket season Voice of experience Boasting an impressive 42 years’ experience in the industry, Mick Caban started as a dealer at Australia’s first casino, Wrest Point in Tasmania, in 1974. Since then he has worked everywhere from Perth and Melbourne in Australia to international destinations such as Auckland, London and even Swaziland! He inevitably landed in Macau in 2005 which eventually saw him assume his current role as Pre-Sales Manager for Asia at leading gaming manufacturer and supplier IGT. Our Managing Editor, Ben Blaschke, caught up with Caban to discuss his diverse career.