Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2021年11月 亞博匯 79 11-25 MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO Star Entertainment Group 董事總經理兼行政總裁 星億娛樂集團 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 1,110 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 18 Leading aggressive growth strategy in key Sydney and Queensland markets Implemented strategic partnerships with Asia’s Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium • • • • 在悉尼和昆士蘭州這些重要市場上領導集團落實進取的增長策略 與來自亞洲的周大福及遠東發展建立戰略合作夥伴關係 MATT BEKIER 14 AUSTRALIAN CASINOS have taken a big hit from the pandemic and the loss of Chinese VIPs, but The Star Entertainment Group rode the storm better than rival Crown Resorts thanks to lesser lockdown restrictions and a charmed life relatively free of regulatory hostility – at least until recently. If anything, Star’s profile has improved compared with Crown, which now risks losing licences for its casinos thanks to Royal Commission probes in two states. CEO Matt Bekier has been the face of optimism and endurance in the face of these unprecedented challenges. And these qualities seemed to serve Star well as it rebounded from closures and junket bans, posting decent numbers, maintaining expansion plans and preparing to sell an interest in its Sydney precinct. For a time, Star even offered to take over Crown, before the gravity of the Crown Melbourne probe emerged. But what seemed like a blessed run has been upended by the same investigative media team that more or less single-handedly destroyed Crown’s reputation. Reports by Nine Newspapers and 60 Minutes have alleged that Star has not only been failing compliance benchmarks in a manner similar to Crown, but that it also kept highly critical internal reports commissioned from KPMG from the New South Wales gaming regulator. Star has denied the allegations. How Bekier and his team handle the fallout will determine the future of Star for years to come. For now, his team is using the same aggressive strategy as Crown in striking back rather than conciliating, likely auguring a high-stakes, if not zero-sum, fight with government and public opinion. 澳洲的賭場 因新冠疫情和中國貴賓的流失而遭受重創，但星億娛樂集團較 其競爭對手皇冠度假酒店更好的渡過了這場風暴，主要由於封鎖限制較 少，及沒有遭受監管敵意 ——直至近期。 與皇冠相比，星億的形象已經有所改善及提升。由於皇家調查委員會 目前正在兩個州進行的調查，皇冠有可能失去其賭場牌照。 面對前所未有的挑戰，行政總裁Matt Bekier一直保持著樂觀和忍耐 的態度。 這些個性似乎對星億很有幫助，該公司從關閉及博彩中介的禁令中恢 復過來，取得了不錯的業績，維持了擴張計劃，並有意出售其在悉尼地區 的權益。 曾經，在Crown Melbourne接受調查的嚴重性出現之前，星億甚至還 一度提出要接管皇冠酒店。 但是，看似幸運的搶跑卻被同一個調查媒體團隊所顛覆，這個媒體已 經或多或少的以一己之力摧毀了皇冠的聲譽。 《Nine Newspapers》及《60 Minutes》報道稱，星億不僅以類似皇 冠的方式未能達到合規標準，而且還向新南威爾士州博彩監管機構隱瞞了 畢馬威會計師事務所出具的關鍵內容的內部報告。星億否認了這些指控。 Bekier和他的團隊如何處理這一事件，將決定著星億公司未來幾年的 發展。目前其團隊採用了與皇冠相同的激進策略進行反擊，而非和解。這 可能預示著一場與政府和公眾輿論（若非零和的）高風險鬥爭。