Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING JULY 2018 24 FEATURE IN FOCUS “THIS IS NOT A DRILL...” Gaming businesses must plan judiciously for emergencies such as the Resorts World Manila attack, natural disasters and accidents so they can respond effectively when best plans fail. By Muhammad Cohen Muhammad Cohen also blogs for Forbes on gaming throughout Asia and wrote Hong Kong On Air , a novel set during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance and cheap lingerie. A RSON at Resorts World Manila a year ago, Typhoon Hato battering Macau last August and the Las Vegas concert shooting in October underscore crisis management challenges the gaming industry can face. Cyber attacks present a different set of emergency challenges. A panel at this year’s International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) Gaming Summit in Macau brought crisis management expertise from operator, regulator and security professional perspectives, with this reporter as panel moderator. Panelists AG Burnett, a former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Las Vegas Sands Executive Vice President Lon Jacobs and Omnirisc Security Managing Director Ekraj Rai agree that the key to crisis response is preparation. Plans need to cover the three broad types of crises – natural disasters, accidents and adversarial situations – and address issues such as the safety of The site of the 1 October Las Vegas shooting where a gunman killed 58 people after firing from his Mandalay Bay hotel room.