Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING DECEMBER 2017 62 ASIAN GAMING POWER 50 2 0 1 7 Jun Fujimoto EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT Universal Entertainment POWER 616 LAST – SCORE YEAR CLAIMS TO FAME Universal founder Kazuo Okada “protégé” blamed for chairman’s ouster Leading corporate deliberations on fate of Okada Manila 41 What to do with someone else’s dream? That’s the dilemma for Jun Fujimoto and colleagues at Universal Entertainment, Japan’s pachinko and gaming machine maker that owns Okada Manila, the partially finished IR named for Universal founder Kazuo Okada in the Philippine capital’s Entertainment City. Mr Fujimoto and the family of Mr Okada were reportedly behind the boardroom coup that ousted Chairman Okada in June amid allegations he misappropriated some US$20 million in corporate funds. Okada Manila, soft opened last December, also has a legacy of actual and alleged infractions, notably bribery of government officials. The ex-chairman’s signature project requires heavy investment to complete its US$2.8 billion first phase of 1,000 rooms, 500 gaming tables and 3,000 machines surrounding the world’s largest dancing fountain that premiered in March. On the other hand, Okada Manila would be the biggest IR in Manila Bay’s burgeoning casino hub. Already pulling 13% market share with its barebones frame, Morgan Stanley projects 2019 gaming revenue of US$1.1 billion, 32% of Manila’s IR market. The IR diversifies Universal from a gaming machine sector increasingly dominated by behemoths and boosts its credibility for a Japan IR stake, Mr Okada’s dream. The Okada Manila decision will shape Universal’s future. Jay Chun CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Paradise Entertainment Group POWER 603 LAST 33 SCORE YEAR CLAIMS TO FAME Founder of Macau gaming equipment manufacturer LT Game Changed the face of Macau’s casino floors with his Live Multi Game Machines 42 Fujimoto is known for being intensely private. Described by an IAG source in Japan as “a ghost”, he’s the only member of the BIG 50 we haven’t been able to find a picture of, and believe us we’ve tried. If anyone has one – please get in touch!