Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming september 2016 44 Asian Gaming POWER 50 2 0 1 6 Albert Yeung CHAIRMAN Emperor Group Power 598 last 46 Score year Claims to fame Historical links to Stanley Ho Major player in Hong Kong entertainment 42 John Mortensen INTERIM CEO SkyCity Entertainment Group Power 617 last – Score year Claims to fame Broad experience in New Zealand gaming Worked as both SkyCity COO and SkyCity Auckland General Manager 41 SkyCity Entertainment Group is in capable hands with industry veteran John Mortensen, who took the reins of the six-casino group in April following the resignation of long-time Chief Executive Nigel Morrison. As Mr Morrison’s Chief Operating Officer, effectively his second in command, he’s well-versed in the practices that are delivering consistently solid revenue and earnings pretty much across the group and which have set it firmly on a path of expansion both in Australia and its home market of New Zealand. Group-wide EBITDA was up 8.2% to NZ$330 million in the 12 months ended 30 June on normalized revenue that grew a robust 7.6% to NZ$1.1 billion. One of the real highlights of Mr Morrison’s tenure in this regard has been SkyCity’s emergence as a serious Australasian contender for the VIP trade. “International Business” volume, as the company labels it, was up almost 33% last year to more than NZ$12 billion. Mr Mortensen certainly will be looking to build on this, and the keys will be keeping two major expansion projects on track: the first, priced at more than NZ$300 million, will bring a new luxury hotel to SkyCity Adelaide along with a lot more gaming product; the second, years in the making, is happening in Auckland, where the company has a deal with the NZ government to build a NZ$450 million convention center and supporting hotel and permission to undertake a significant expansion of the company’s largest casino.