Junket boss Alvin Chau panellist at MGS 2017 trade show

Nov 10, 2017 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, MGS Entertainment Show 2017, Top of the deck  

---

Alvin Chau Cheok Wa (pictured), boss of Macau casino junket investor Suncity Group, has been confirmed as a panellist for the conference portion of the MGS Entertainment Show, a trade exhibition for the casino industry.

According to investment analysts, Mr Chau’s business is the largest single investor – measured by chip turnover – in Macau’s credit-based VIP gambling segment.  Last year, Macau recorded market-wide VIP gross gaming revenue – a different performance measure for the sector – of MOP118.96 billion (US$14.8 billion).

Mr Chau will speak at a panel session starting at 3.30pm on November 14, the first day of the event, on the topic of “The Integration and Development of Technology and VIP Services”.

Thomas Pang, boss of another VIP junket investor in the Macau market, Meg-Star International, will sit on the same panel, along with Jay Chun, chairman of the show’s organiser, the Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers Association. Mr Chun is also chairman of Hong Kong-listed casino equipment maker and services provider Paradise Entertainment Ltd.

Paulo Martins Chan, director of Macau’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, had already been confirmed as a guest speaker for day one of the event. According to the event organiser, Mr Chan’s speech is on the topic “Mitigate Risk, Enhance Supervision”.

Another speaker on the morning of the first day of MGS Entertainment Show is Pansy Ho Chiu King, an investor in Macau casino operator MGM China Holdings Ltd. She is attending in her other roles as, respectively, executive chairman and managing director of Hong Kong-listed shipping and property conglomerate Shun Tak Holdings Ltd, and as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Global Tourism Economy Forum. Her topic will be “Belt and Road Initiative, Smart City, Smart Economy”.

Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, president and chief operating officer of Macau casino operator Sands China Ltd, will also speak in the same session as Ms Ho, with his topic being “Corporate Wisdom under One Belt One Road and a Smart City”.

The third day of the event, on November 16, will feature from 10.20am until 12.20pm several sessions on the emerging market of Japan, which is likely soon to enact a further round of legislation to establish its casino sector.

Participants in the Japan sessions will include: Akira Kurita, Integrated Resorts (IR) MICE [meetings incentives, conferences and exhibitions] promotion office senior manager at Hakuhodo Inc; Takayoshi Koike, a former investment banker who is chief executive of Capital and Innovation Co Ltd; Mike Tanji, chairman of Gaming Capital Management and director of the Japan Gaming Standard Association; Kazuaki Sasaki, associate professor of the Toyo University Department of Tourism and director of the IR Gaming Society; Masa Suganuma, chief executive of ReNeA Japan Inc and director of the Japan Gaming Standard Association; Kirk White, executive vice president and general manager international – including Australia, Asia Pacific, Europe and South Africa – for BMM International LLC, also known as BMM Testlabs; and Chris Rowe, managing director Asia Pacific for Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.

During the afternoon of the third day of the event, GGRAsia will be moderating a panel on the topic of diversification of the gaming industry in Macau and the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Speakers include: Augustine Vinh, president of Vietnam-based consultancy Stellar Management Corp; Grant Govertsen, managing director of Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd; and Vitaly Umansky, senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Co LLC.

MGS Entertainment Show – previously known as the Macao Gaming Show (MGS) – is an annual event based in the city and features a casino industry trade exhibition and conference. This year’s gathering is to be held from November 14 to 16 at Cotai Expo in the Venetian Macao casino resort.

---

---