Inside Asian Gaming

February 2012 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 45 Briefs (Pagcor), said at the groundbreaking ceremony. Pagcor, which is the country’s largest casino operator, expects the resorts to generate annual gambling revenue of US$10 billion to $11 billion in the fifth year of operations. Las Vegas had an estimated $6 billion in revenue last year. The four operators are expected to invest a combined US$5 billion, Mr Naguiat said. Another 25-acre portion of the Manila Bay area remains open to development by foreign gambling companies. Japan’s main opposition party to give blessing to casino bill “by March” The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP)—the country’s main opposition party—intends to give its blessing within weeks to a proposed enabling bill for casino resorts says Gaming Capital Management (GCM), a Tokyo-based consultancy. GCM cited comments from Kenji Tamura, a senior member of the governing party—the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)—made at a recent internal meeting of the DPJ. “A [DPJ] sub-committee on this issue has been set up last December, being set to commence activities soon. I heard that in the LDP, their target is to approve the bill at the end of February or in March,” said Mr Tamura. The news of the LDP’s expected backing—following ongoing internal party discussions—emerged after the first DPJ Casino Working Team consultation meeting of 2012 on the integrated resort plan. Issei Koga from the DPJ—and the chairman of an all-party group called the Diet Member Alliance for Promotion of Integrated Resort with Casinos (known by its abbreviated title IR Alliance) has indicated his intention to submit an all-party casino bill to the current session of the Diet—Japan’s parliament—at “an appropriate time”. Mr Koga stressed however that with new integrated resort projects being discussed in neighbouring South Korea and other regional jurisdictions, speedy passage of enabling legislation for a casino or casinos in Japan would be vital to the success of the initiative. Sands China, Cirque du Soleil end Macau contract According to a Dow Jones Newswires report, after three-and-a- half years, the Macau unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Cirque du Soleil are putting an end to their 10-year contract. The announcement on 7th February underscores the difficulty casino companies have faced trying to transform the Chinese gambling haven into a well-rounded tourist destination like Las Vegas. The Quebec-based entertainment company will perform its last Zaia show, which was its first permanent production to open in Asia, on 19th February. The deal’s breakdown isn’t entirely unexpected, given earlier complaints fromLasVegas Sands Corp’s billionaire Chairman Sheldon Adelson about disappointing ticket sales, though the two companies repeatedly denied rumors the show would be canceled. Average occupancy at the Zaia show in January was 40%, according to a representative for the Canadian company, whose productions have been popular in the West, particularly in the US casino capital Las Vegas. The combined cost of creating the heavily promoted show and its custom-built theater exceeded US$150 million, according to an August 2008 statement on the pact. One entertainment offering in Macau that has proved popular, however, is the House of Dancing Water show at Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd.’s City of Dreams property. The show, which the company says cost two billion Hong Kong dollars (US$257.9 million) to create, is still packed after opening in September 2010. The company is even launching some extra shows, “due to the enthusiastic support from [its] fans.” Some analysts were initially skeptical of the House of DancingWater because its expense and the poor ticket sales at Cirque du Soleil, but they say it has succeeded because of its ability to appeal to Chinese customers with its unique and over-the-top stunts. Cirque du Soleil and Sands China said they are “currently discussing a variety of options for working together on other projects,” but neither provided further details. “In view of the market trend and customer demand shown in the research we’ve conducted, the company will again be investing to redesign the theater,” said Gus Liem, vice president of entertainment at Sands China. Pentasia expands Into Macau with opening of new office Pentasia, the global leader in gaming & gambling technology staffing solutions, announced the inauguration of its new Macau based HR Consultancy. Pentasia Macau Ltd was first incorporated in November 2011 and provides human resources consultancy to the gaming market in Macau. Its client base consists of gaming technology vendors, casino operators and companies providing support services to the gaming industry. The business also acts as a representative office of the Pentasia group and in turn relays valuable insight and advice to Pentasia Singapore Pte Ltd, the region’s fully licensed recruitment business founded in Singapore in 2007. Jonathan Pettemerides, Pentasia’s Managing Director for the Asia Pacific region, hailed the office’s opening as a significant step forward. “Pentasia Macau is an important addition to the Pentasia Group. Having a presence in Macau, the largest casino gaming market in the world, was a natural and necessary progression for the business. “Macau has been a developing market for Pentasia’s HR Consultancy business for some time now and the opening of our new office further enhances the levels of local expertise and face-to- face contact we can provide our Macau based clients.”