Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING DECEMBER 2017 22 done this without any predetermined notion or goal of where any person should or should not be ranked. At the end of the day, in our industry the concept of “power” generally comes down to direct or indirect control of money. The greater the GGR controlled, the greater the power. But what, exactly, is control? It’s about influence, it’s about who is the ultimate decision maker, and sometimes it’s simply about who is the person everyone in the room looks to for answers. In the same way that a country is a country because other countries say it is, some people are powerful simply because other people say they are. Here are some other questions that have arisen during the selection process: What countries count as Asia? As west as India, as south as New Zealand, as east as Saipan and as north as Mongolia. What about non-operators who have a strong voice in the industry, like regulators, media commentators, analysts, academics, suppliers, consultants, gaming lawyers and so on? We have looked at the power wielded by all of those, but after careful consideration concluded that it was impossible to include regulators (Pagcor’s Andrea Domingo’s position on the list is purely as an operator, not a regulator) and after considering the power of people in all the other categories it was only direct operators who made it into the top 50. How do you pick between the owner/CEO and the COO of a company? Many gaming companies have a charismatic and entrepreneurial owner/CEO and a perhaps more seasoned and level-headed gaming professional in charge as President and/or COO. By default, being an owner necessarily ranks many more Power Score points. After all, the owner can always force an appointed COO out of his job. But in some cases a hired COO can be even more powerful than their “boss” when the owner delegates a very large proportion of decision making responsibility. The answer is decided on a case by case basis. Why isn’t Dr Stanley Ho on the list anymore? Dr Ho was retired from the list in 2011 after he effectively withdrew from active day-to-day management of SJM. As one seasoned industry professional told us, “You can’t put him in with normal people.” We agree. Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow selection panel members for their tireless work and excellent insights. And so, without any further ado, we present the 10th edition of the Asian Gaming Power 50. Enjoy! It’s been a big year for Manila’s integrated resorts ASIAN GAMING POWER 50 2 0 1 7 The covers of IAG’s BIG 50 issues over the last decade