Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN NOV 2019 48 2019 POWER 50 LAWRENCE HO CHAIRMAN AND CEO Melco Resorts and Entertainment CHAIRMAN AND CEO Melco International Development DIRECTOR Studio City International ローレンス・ホー (何猷龍 ) 会長兼CEO メルコリゾーツ＆エンターテインメント 会長兼CEO メルコ・インターナショナル 取締役 スタジオシティ・インターナショナル CLAIMS TO FAME • Management changes in the midst of a successful Macau rebound puts him in a more strategic role • RefocusedMelco’s Japan integrated resort drive on Yokohama • Acquiring 19.99% of former partner Crown Resorts with an eye toward taking control 評価理由 • マカオの回復が成功するなか行われた経営陣の変更によりさらに戦 略的な役割に • メルコの日本での統合型リゾート開発に向けた取り組みを横浜に集 中しなおす • 支配権の獲得を視野に元パートナーであるクラウンリゾーツの19.99% の株式を取得 3 MORE than hisMacau counterparts, perhapsmore than anyone on this list, Melco’s Lawrence Ho is a gambler. That’s not to say that you’ll find him seated at a Melco baccarat table in Macau, Manila or Cyprus or that the 42-year-old Chairman and CEO of all three Melco listed companies makes rash decisions. But it does mean that Ho takes chances, not in the context of modern gaming where long-run outcomes are certain, but genuine risks where key factors are unknowable and results unpredictable. That’s gambling, and Ho makes serious bets. He bet US$250 million on "The House of Dancing Water" and won. He bet US$1 billion on Morpheus, a 700-room boutique hotel for the 21st century, which started slow from its June 2018 opening but now leads the revival of Macau flagship integrated resort City of Dreams and solidifies its premium positioning. Not every bet pays off, but Melco consistently produces the most innovative IRs in Asia, if not worldwide. It doesn’t copy resorts in Vegas or across the bridge. Melco products are unique, and that’s a reflection of Ho and the corporate culture he’s crafted. When Chief Operating Officer Ted Chan left in late 2016, Ho bet big on himself. He instituted a new management system that eliminated the COO position and put him at the center of operations. Those changes coincided with James Packer selling down Crown Resorts’ share of NASDAQ listed Melco Crown Entertainment, and, in May 2017, completely exiting what Ho lauds as “the most successful partnership in gaming history.” Ho’s nearly three years of direct operations involvement POWER SCORE パワースコア : 6,298 POSITION LAST YEAR 昨年の順位 : 3