Inside Asian Gaming

DECEMBER 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 19 Despite such incredible development, only four people have sat atop the Asian Gaming Power 50 over the past 10 years. They are: 2008: Dr Stanley Ho 2009: Tan Sri KT Lim 2010: Mr Sheldon Adelson 2011 and 2012: Mr Francis Lui 2013 to 2017: Mr Sheldon Adelson 2018: read on to find out! “We often hear claims of not reading the list or not caring about it, but we are often contacted either directly or through surrogates to bemoan the injustice of a perceived lowly position and to lobby for the following year.” Yet, as has become the norm, so much has changed over the past 12 months with the industry’s highs and lows all reflected in the make-up of our 2018 Asian Gaming Power 50. From the sudden and shocking fall from grace of global gaming icon Steve Wynn to the disappearance of Landing International Chairman Dr Yang Zhihui and Crown Resorts figurehead James Packer stepping away for mental health reasons, there was never a dull moment in this fascinating and fast-moving industry. December IAG published the inaugural “BIG 50” in July 2008. The following year it moved to September, so that it was the current issue of IAG for the G2E trade show in Las Vegas each year. It remained in September for the next eight years, to 2016. As the years have rolled on, the importance of G2E in Las Vegas to the Asian gaming industry has waned (while the importance of G2E Asia in Macau has waxed), and in 2017 we decided to move the BIG 50 to December so that each year’s list can take into account all the activities and machinations of the preceding calendar year. Dynamic The Power 50 list is not a place for people to rest on their laurels. While there are some points awarded for company longevity and/or executive tenure, the list predominantly focuses on the activities of the prior 12 months. It’s all about “what are you doing now?” and “what have you done lately?” not “what ASIAN GAMING POWER 50 2 0 1 8