Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2022年11月 亞博匯 68 1-10 7 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER The Hong Kong Jockey Club 行政總裁 香港賽馬會 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 1,382 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 9 WINFRIED ENGELBRECHT-BRESGES 應家柏 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 Driving force behind the modernization and revitalization of The HKJC Has helped The HKJC become Hong Kong’s biggest employer Has expanded global reach via commingling 香港賽馬會現代化和復甦的主要推手之一 助力賽馬會成為香港最大的僱主 通過混合彩池助賽馬會擴大其國際網絡 WHAT MORE can be said about Winfried Engelbrecht- Bresges that hasn’t been said after 15 years in the top job at The Hong Kong Jockey Club? Possibly this: not even the most risk-aware, due diligence-addicted C-suite executive would have predicted a pandemic that would lay waste to the industry’s global profits and trigger wholesale structural shifts in earning power. The last three years have tested many, and many have failed. But the Club under Engelbrecht-Bresges has gone from strength to strength, despite occasional racecourse closures to dedicated punters and periodic closures of the Club’s ever-popular lottery business. Racing turnover for the 2021-2022 season rose 3% to a record HK$140 billion (US$17.8 billion), along with other record metrics in overall revenue and meeting numbers, and The HKJC's strength in a time of economic suffering means its status as leading taxpayer has greatly increased. Online and mobile platforms are now the overwhelming generator of revenue for the Club, with 90% of turnover coming from these sources – an example of the suppleness of the Club in embracing technology and global connectivity. Total turnover in 2021-2022, including football betting and the Mark 6 lottery, came in at a record HK$290 billion (US$36.9 billion). Equally, the Club has out-performed the rest of the city amid a domestic political and security environment that has hamstrung so much of Hong Kong and sent so many residents packing.