Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2021年2月 亞博匯 46 INDUSTRY PROFILE They’ve been very resilient. My wife is struggling a bit with the driving on the other side of the road and the crazy Sydney traffic, but we’re in a beautiful part of the world and we appreciate that very much. BB: How did you cope with two stints in quarantine last year? DO: Literally the day before I left Australia to return to Las Vegas, all the airports started getting shut down. I only just got back to the US in time. Then I came back to Sydney in July because I had to start the new role and meet the people and connect with the customers. The NSW market reopened in June, so there was activity again, and I needed to find a home and a school for the kids. It was a 14-day stretch by myself in a hotel room with no windows and no fresh air, and I went a little stir-crazy. The second time was much better — I was with my family. We had a two-bedroom place with a balcony and fresh air. We were still isolated, but it’s amazing what a kitchen and a balcony will do. BB: What have the main challenges been in starting a new role without being able to travel? DO: Just getting out to see the customers. I’m from here and I know the market, and I’ve also been coming over every August as the Chief Product Officer of IGT for the last five years to attend AGE (Australasian Gaming Expo), so I’m familiar with a lot of the customers. But not being able to get out and see them face-to-face other than in NSW has been challenging. I really want to get out there as soon as possible and understand our customers’ challenges and be able to configure