Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming MAY 2015 44 Insights highest-grossing mall in the world on a per square foot basis—having become a major profit generator. To some extent, the company has been ahead of the market with its entertainment initiatives, and Mr Messinger acknowledges it has ploughed resources into “bringing great entertainment here maybe before it became fashionable.” When the Macau government decided to liberalize the gaming industry and award new casino-operating concessions in 2002, it was primarily with a view to diversifying the local economy. With the current plunge in gaming revenue and concern about receiving adequate table allocations at their upcoming Cotai resorts, it’s become decidedly fashionable for Macau’s casino operators to emphasize their commitment to non-gaming offerings. Yet Sands China took that commitment seriously from the outset. “It accelerated obviously with the opening of The Venetian Macao in 2007,” says Mr Messinger. “One of the quotes our chairman, Sheldon Adelson, famously made at the time of the opening was he was finally realizing the dream to help make Macau the capital of entertainment in Asia for Asians.” That mission is supported by the rapidly evolving tastes of China’s middle class. Chinese consumption patterns are poised for a dramatic shift with the coming of age of the generation born after International headliners who have graced the stage at the Cotai Arena include Rihanna , the Rolling Stones and Katy Perry . With the current plunge in gaming revenue and concern about receiving adequate table allocations at their upcoming Cotai resorts, it’s become decidedly fashionable for Macau’s casino operators to emphasize their commitment to non-gaming offerings. Yet Sands China took that commitment seriously from the outset. the mid-80s in the era of economic reform and the country’s opening up to the world. They’re westernized, savvy, and beyond gaming and retail, will be hungry for world-class entertainment and dining experiences. And that’s what Mr Adelson’s integrated resort model promises to deliver. “It’ll be shopping, great dining, coupled with