Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2020年11月 亞博匯 82 2020 POWER 50 BILL HORNBUCKLE CEO and PRESIDENT MGM Resorts International CHAIRPERSON and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MGM China Holdings Ltd 首席執行官及總裁 美高梅國際酒店 董事長兼執行董事 美高梅中國 21 POWER SCORE 權能指數 : 1,059 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名 : Nil 無 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 A 43-year veteran of the Las Vegas gaming industry On the opening team of The Mirage alongside Steve Wynn Joined MGM Resorts in the same month as predecessor Jim Murren • • • • • • 在拉斯維加斯從事博彩行業逾43年的資深人士 曾與史蒂芬·永利一起出任The Mirage的開幕團隊 與前任JimMurren同月加入美高梅國際酒店 A TRUE VETERAN OF THE INDUSTRY, Bill Hornbuckle certainly picked an interesting time to step into the top role at MGM Resorts, vacated by former Chairman and CEO Jim Murren in March. Initially installed as Acting CEO and President while MGM completed its checks and balances around who should lead the company into the future, Hornbuckle was confirmed as Murren’s permanent replacement in July – completing his 43-year rise through the ranks at the most challenging time the Las Vegas gaming industry has ever faced. If navigating the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t enough, MGM is also coming off a recent fire sale that saw it offload its most iconic Las Vegas property, MGM Grand, and a sizeable stake in the real estate investment trust that holds Mandalay Bay as part of a massive US$4.6 billion transaction in January. That transaction was aimed at freeing up cash to plough into MGM’s US sports betting expansion as well as development of an integrated resort in Osaka, Japan – the latter of which Hornbuckle has since questioned to some extent given increasing uncertainty around Japan’s IR regulations. Still, there are none in Las Vegas with better claims to the MGM Resorts throne than Hornbuckle. The 62-year-old arrived in Sin City from New England and never looked back, starting his career as bartender at the tender age of 18, then as a busboy at the Jockey Club. He spent time at Hilton Hotels, then Wynn Resorts where he helped open The Mirage in 1989. Hornbuckle joined MGM in 1998, ironically in the very same month as his predecessor Murren – providing him unique insight into the company’s development over the past 22 years. 作為博彩行業的真正的內行人， Bill Hornbuckle無疑選擇了一個有趣的時機出 任美高梅國際酒店集團的最高職位。，繼承前董事長兼首席執行官Jim Murren 之職位，後者今年3月離職。 Bill Hornbuckle最初出任的是代理首席執行官及總裁。在此期間美高梅 完成了未來應由誰來帶領公司發展的調查及權衡，最終Hornbuckle脫穎而出 在7月成為Murren的正式繼任者——在其於拉斯維加斯43年從業生涯迎來登 頂時刻的同時，亦直面有史以來最具挑戰性的局面。 除了應對新冠肺炎疫情大流行的影響之外，美高梅近期還正在大甩賣其 最具標誌性的拉斯維加斯物業MGM Grand以及持有Mandalay Bay的一個房 產信託基金，作為於1月完成的一個巨大的46億美元交易的一部分。 這筆交易旨在換取更多現金已投入美高梅在美國體育博彩領域的擴張 以及在日本大阪開發一個綜合度假村。有鑒於日本IR規則的不確定性與日俱 增，Hornbuckle在一定程度上對此提出了質疑。 不過，縱觀拉斯維加斯，沒有哪位人士比Hornbuckle更有資格登上美 高梅國際酒店的寶座。這位今年已經62歲的人士從紐西蘭一路來到「罪惡之 城」，一直一往無前。他的職業生涯始於18歲的酒保工作，隨後在賽馬俱樂部 做侍應。他曾先後在希爾頓酒店和永利渡假村工作，並於1989年協助了The Mirage的開業。 饒有意思的是，Hornbuckle於1998年加入美高梅，剛好和他的前任 Murren的同一個月——這令其對公司過去22年的發展有著其獨到的見解。