Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2022年11月 亞博匯 99 26-50 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SkyCity Entertainment Group 行政總裁 SkyCity Entertainment Group CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 671 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 35 Former executive at The Star Sydney and slot giant Aristocrat Has driven the company’s digital gaming arm 曾在The Star Sydney及角子機巨擘盛世貴族擔任高管 推動公司網絡博彩部門的發展 MICHAEL AHEARNE 33 LIKE MOST GAMING OPERATORS around the Asia-Pacific region, SkyCity Entertainment’s New Zealand and Australian casinos are in the midst of a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the very least, CEO Michael Ahearne will be confident that the company will quickly overturn the US$21 million loss booked in the financial year ended 30 June 2022, having already claimed EBITDA was back to pre-COVID levels in the final months of the reporting period. But challenges remain. The regulatory revolution that has decimated the executive teams of Australian operators Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment Group is now turning its attention to SkyCity, with the South Australian government in July announcing an independent review into its suitability to hold a casino license for SkyCity Adelaide. Australia’s AML watchdog AUSTRAC also mentioned Adelaide’s casino as part of broader investigations announced in mid-2021, although its focus seems to have been primarily drawn to Crown and Star. For now, however, Ahearne will be more focused on righting the ship at SkyCity’s flagship Auckland IR following the recent reopening of international borders, while the company’s online gaming business continues to bubble away enticingly with revenues up 29% in the past 12 months on the back of around 10,000 monthly users. No doubt Ahearne’s time spent with UK giant Paddy Power Betfair prior to his arrival in Auckland will serve the company’s digital aspirations well. 與亞太地區 的大多數博彩運營商一樣，SkyCity Entertainment位於紐西蘭 及澳洲的賭場正從新冠疫情中復甦。 至少行政總裁Michael Ahearne對該公司將迅速扭轉截至2022年6月 30日財年內虧損2100萬美元的局面頗有信心。此前該公司已經表示，在財 報截止日期的最後幾個月，EBITDA已經恢復至新冠疫情之前的水平。 然而挑戰已然來臨。重創了皇冠及星億高管團隊的監管改革，目前將 注意力轉向SkyCity。南澳州政府7月宣佈，將對SkyCity Adelaide是否適格 持有賭牌進行獨立審查。 澳洲反洗錢監管機構AUSTRAC同樣在2021年年中宣佈進行更廣泛的 調查，其中提及阿德雷德的賭場，儘管截至目前，似乎關注的重心仍集中 在皇冠及星億。 然而目前，隨著國際旅遊的重新開放，Ahearne將更為專注SkyCity 位於奧克蘭的業務。此外，該公司線上業務繼續呈現向好趨勢，在過去一 年裡收入按年增長了29%，每月約有1萬名用戶的支持。 毫無疑問，Ahearne本人曾在英國巨頭Paddy Power Betfair擔任過多 個高管職務，將很好的支持現公司在數字領域方面的抱負。