Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING OCTOBER 2018 18 COVER STORY U NIVERSAL Entertainment founder and Aruze Gaming owner Kazuo Okada spoke for more than three hours with Inside Asian Gaming Editor-at-Large Muhammad Cohen about his ouster from Wynn Resorts and Universal, his plans to regain his positions and his vision for Japanese integrated resorts. He also presented IAG with a document outlining an alleged Universal plot to frame him (see accompanying article). Okada’s decades making gaming machines for Japan’s pachinko market and global casino floors, plus his experience asWynnResorts vice chairman andmastermind of Okada Manila – conceived as the Philippines’ largest integrated resort – make a compelling entry in Japan’s IR sweepstakes. But Okada remains the focus of legal actions initiated by Universal in three jurisdictions and in late July was questioned by the Hong Kong Independent Commission on Corruption, an event publicized by a Universal news release. Okada and daughter Hiromi are also pursuing legal actions against Universal. Hiromi and Aruze Gaming Group CEO Takahiro Usui were present during our interview. I believe I’ll be vindicated. I believe that law enforcement has been misled by faulty or purposely erroneous information from Universal. Muhammad Cohen: It seems like your dreams have come true – there’s a casino resort with your name on it in Manila and, finally, casino gambling has been legalized in Japan – but somebody wrote you out of your dream. Kazuo Okada: I have realized many of my dreams. I was on my way to achieving more dreams, but I was rudely disrupted and sent away from my dreams. But my intention is to make my way back and fulfill my dreams. If this coup d’etat had not taken place, I foresaw being in three locations: Macau, Japan and the current Philippines. Of all locations, one would need to be successful in Macau in order to brag to the world that you were successful – Macau being the biggest casino market. And I’d feel that [being] Japanese, I’d have to do something in Japan. MC: Where does your legal situation stand? KO: I believe I’ll be vindicated. I believe that law enforcement has been misled by faulty or purposely erroneous information from Universal. It seems they’re just blindly moving upon it. But as mentioned and shown in the documentation that we [have given you], which turns around everything they have stated and explained