Inside Asian Gaming

September 2015 inside asian gaming 23 On 1st September , Galaxy Entertaimnet Group announced it had appointed veteran casino executive Kevin Kelley as its chief operating officer, Macau, with immediate effect, leading to Michael Mecca dropping the COO designation from his title. “As part of GEG’s growth journey, the company now enters into the next phase of our development. We will continue to lead our Macau business in its current success and to devote more attention towards growth opportunities in realizing our regional and global vision. Mr Michael Mecca, in his capacity as President, GEG, will continue to pursue regional and global expansion opportunities for the company,” the company’s VP of public relations Buddy Lam explained. “With 40 years of gaming, hospitality and entertainment experience, Mr Kelley will oversee functions such as business development, international premium and mass market development, Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Hotel, Broadway Macau and City Clubs operations as well as advancing the development plans for [Galaxy Macau] Phases 3 and 4,” according to a company press release. Meanwhile, Mr Mecca has become a director of Société des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Étrangers à Monaco, an operator of casinos and hotels in Monaco in which Galaxy acquired a 5% stake in July for 40 million euros ($43.9 million). SBM, 69.5%-owned by the state of Monaco, has properties including the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the Casino Café de Paris, as well as luxury hotels, restaurants and night clubs, according to its website. GEG has been tipped by investment analysts as having shown interest in one of several new foreigners-only casino licenses the South Korean government is considering issuing in that country, and if a bid transpires, Mr Mecca will no doubt be at the lead. The company also Michael Mecca President Galaxy Entertainment Group plans to build a RMB10-billion (US$1.6-billion) non-gaming resort on Hengqin Island in mainland China, which is connected to Macau’s Cotai Strip by the Lotus Bridge, a short car ride from the Galaxy Macau resort. Mr Mecca joined GEG in March 2009 in the run-up to the opening of Galaxy Macau. His mission, said Deputy Chairman Francis Lui, was to take the company “to the next level in its development as a leading Asian gaming corporation.” A big part of Mr Mecca’s job, as he saw it, was to take the strong customer service standards established at StarWorld, the company’s previous flagship, and transplant them to the much larger Galaxy Macau. It’s a mission Mr Mecca has fulfilled admirably, in the process establishing the company’s brand identity by ensuring guests receive the coveted “World Class, Asian Heart” experience promised in its marketing campaigns. “We spend a great deal of time and energy training our people on a regular, ongoing basis,” says Mr Mecca. “We have dedicated people in every department who spend their entire time on the floor, and there are impactful behaviors that we monitor that are all geared towards providing the required level of service. You’ll see that every one of the security guards, as you enter, they’ll make a motion of welcome. And the dealers, after each hand, they’ll look up at the customers and make sure everything is OK. Every department in the property participates in the program, and our goal is to provide a level of service second to none in the industry.” Prior to joining GEG, Mr Mecca served as president and CEO of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and held senior executive roles at Mandalay Resort Group, Caesars World, Crown and Las Vegas locals giant Station Casinos. He has more than three decades of experience in the hotel and gaming industries.