As sure as death and taxes, the IAG team begins the process of selecting our Asian Gaming Power 50 list each year knowing full well we’re going to be asked for information or favors from some of our P50 candidates.
“Is our CEO on this year’s list?” “Are they higher or lower than last year?”
“Can you make sure our Chairman is in this year’s Power 50?”
We’ve even been offered bribes! Of course, our answers never change: “No we can’t tell you that”, and “No you can’t buy your way in (or out).” But it is testimony to the esteem in which the Power 50 is held that so many important industry players want to feature on the list and want to know in advance exactly how they rank among their peers.
This is the 15th year in which IAG has compiled its annual Power 50 rankings and the seventh in which I’ve been personally involved in the judging process. I’m proud to say that one constant that has remained throughout is our commitment to ensuring the list is faithful to reality, that candidates are judged on merit and merit alone, and that they are included or excluded without fear or favor.
This alone sets us apart from many of the so-called “power” or “influence” lists doing the rounds these days.
Such considerations aside, compiling the 2022 Asian Gaming Power 50 surely ranked as the most challenging – and fascinating – in my seven editions to date. The massive losses being notched by Macau’s gaming operators saw plenty of movement in our power rankings, while many other mainstays fell off the list completely due to the collapse of the junket industry or their being victims of Australia’s regulatory purge. Ranking those who emerged as potential replacements was easier said than done, and our esteemed judging panel spent many hours debating the pros and cons of certain individuals and the organizations they represent. Needless to say, we didn’t always see eye to eye.
But, as always, we eventually settled on a list we believe accurately reflects the spread of power across Asia’s gaming industry influencers in 2022 and hope you enjoy poring over the results. Perhaps you agree with our dissection, perhaps you don’t. Either way, we’d love to hear your feedback so please do feel free to let us know your thoughts.
Until next time, happy reading!
Ben Blaschke
Managing Editor
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