Harrah’s looks to expand in Asia; MGM defends Pansy Ho


The excitement in Macau last week wasn’t limited to the opening of the City of Dreams (see Cover Story). Across the street at the Venetian Macau, the leaders of the Asian gaming industry gathered to honor Macau gaming pioneer Stanley Ho and attend G2E Asia, the leading gaming trade show and conference on the Pacific Rim.

It was the opening ceremony that garnered the most attention. Hundreds of gaming executives and a swarm of media showed up to watch Ho accept the Gaming Visionary Award, presented annually by G2E. Joined by much of his family, including daughter Pansy, who recently was deemed an “unsuitable” partner for MGM Mirage in MGM Grand Macau, and Lawrence, who opened Melco Crown’s City of Dreams two days before. Also attending the ceremony was Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho (no relation).

The major players in the worldwide gaming industry were present, as attendees and on the exhibit floor. More than 130 companies erected stands on an exhibit floor that exceeded 150,000 square feet. More than 4,000 attendees representing more than 70 countries enjoyed the opportunity to experience the uniquely Macanese experience and networking events that gave attendees chances to mingle with the industry’s top executives.

Courtney Muller, group VP at Reed Exhibitions, which, along with the American Gaming Association produces the event, said the economy was a focus of the G2E Asia.

“Tough economic times are hard for any business,” she said. “In the case of events we have additional challenges because there are so many factors that contribute to a company’s participation as an exhibitor and equally as many factors for the visitors that attend the events. Our goal this year is to deliver a stellar event to the market, even though the event may be smaller in size.”

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, said the extensive conference program is a key to the show’s success.

The new conference content at G2E Asia 2009 has been designed by the industry, for the industry to provide the unique insight and outlook that will help industry professionals succeed in the Asian markets and beyond,” he said.

Some of the most popular seminar sessions included a gaming certificate program presented by Macau University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Speaking at the keynote luncheon for the program was Lawrence Ho, who offered attendees the perspective of the first day of operation for City of Dreams and the plans for its future. He expressed confidence in the future of Macau and said the resort will provide what the city’s visitors want most.

Attendees were also enthusiastic about topics ranging from poker in Asia, the state of table games and slot machines in the region, marketing in a down economy, updates on gaming legalization in Asia, the future of integrated resorts and much more.

News was broken at the show when Harrah’s Asian chief, Michael Chen, declared that Harrah’s is actively seeking a license in Macau, as well as other regions in Asia. He said that Harrah’s will be an active bidder in both Taiwan and Japan, should gaming become legal there.

IGT said it expected to be a major supplier to the two casinos planned for Singapore.

“We expect the market share in Singapore to be higher than Macau," Kurt Quartier, vice-president of IGT's international casino markets, said.

At the ceremony honoring Stanley Ho, daughter Pansy was surrounded by media asking how she plans to respond to the negative New Jersey report. She said that once MGM Grand makes its response, she will be actively involved in clearing her name.

Lloyd Nathan, MGM Grand’s president for global gaming development, said the company would vigorously defend Pansy Ho at any hearing called by the state’s Casino Control Commission.

“We disagree with their recommendation," he told conference attendees. "Pansy Ho has been and is a great partner in Macau."

Stanley Ho himself responded obliquely to the criticism during his acceptance speech.

"The fact that SJM is listed on a major stock market (in Hong Kong) has provided a new level of transparency of gaming in Macau and helped to clear up the misconceptions about the industry that some people had in the past," he said.

By Staff

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