Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2020年11月亞博匯 62 2020 POWER 50 ALVIN CHAU CEO AND DIRECTOR Suncity Group CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTOR Suncity Group Holdings CHAIRMAN AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Summit Ascent Holdings 行政總裁兼董事 太陽城集團 主席及執行董事 太陽城集團控股有限公司 主席及非執行董事 凱升控股 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 6 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 2,719 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 6 Expanding Suncity from junket promoter to casino owner and operator via Hong Kong listed arm Increasing dominance in Macau junket market Top Macau native in city’s leading industry • • • • • • 擴展太陽城，使公司通過香港上市附屬機構從博彩中介變成娛樂場擁有及 營運者 提升在澳門中介市場的霸主地位 作為澳門龍頭產業中首屈一指的本地人 周焯華 TO DESCRIBE ALVIN CHAU’S YEAR as eventful would be like calling the COVID-19 pandemic a mild case of seasonal flu. Already facing a retraction in Macau’s VIP gaming revenue due to a slowdown of economic growth in China and increasing scrutiny of capital outflow by Beijing, the junket sector was blindsided by COVID-19 which saw borders between the nations slammed shut and most international travel put on indefinite hold. In August, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it had established a “blacklist” of overseas tourist destinations it said were disrupting the nation’s outbound tourism market by opening casinos targeting mainland Chinese customers. While none of those destinations were identified, the Ministry was widely believed to be referencing Southeast Asian jurisdictions such as the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. Suncity Group has VIP rooms in all three. Meanwhile, rumors circulating online questioning Suncity’s liquidity as a result of such challenges forced Chau to go public with details of the junket’s financials – an unprecedented move for an industry that has traditionally preferred to sail under the radar. Following more rumors of a “bank run” on some Macau junkets, Chau stated, “We have the capability and enough capital to offset any bad debts and chip deposits of all clients. I would like to reiterate that Suncity is a very stable financial platform.” Despite this, Suncity Group’s listed entity has continued to