Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming MArch 2016 16 Feature In Focus Whether casino operators like it or not, China has the final word on the future of Macau’s gaming industry By Steven Ribet “T he notion that a person who spent two and a half billion dollars would not know how many tables they are going to have three weeks before they open is so preposterous that it is worthy of comment … The table cap is the single most counterintuitive and irrational decision that was ever made.” Thus Steve Wynn last October lashed out at the policies of the Macau government and by extension China. The Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts was speaking in a conference call following a 38% drop in Macau revenues reported in his company’s third quarter earnings announcement. Whether or not he was merely talking for the benefit of his shareholders, Wynn’s criticisms would have found Knows Best Xi Jinping , pictured here in Macau, is the most powerful man in Asia’s gaming industry.