Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN APR 2020 84 FEATURES W ith Wakayama prefecture officially launching its operator recruitment process at the end of March, one of the more unique companies to show interest in Wakayama is renowned Asian VIP service provider Suncity Group. Operating in Japan via its local entity Suncity Group Holdings Japan Ltd, Suncity’s Wakayama bid will be centered around its deep experience in a variety of entertainment services that provide a natural fit to what Japan’s first IRs will be expected to offer. At its core, Suncity Group is known as Asia’s dominant VIP entertainment service conglomerate, with more than 50% market share in Macau and a presence in most gaming markets across the Asia- Pacific region including the Philippines, Cambodia, Korea and Vietnam. In total, the company operates 28 VIP clubs in the region including the world’s first certified SGS Qualicert “7-Star Casino VIP Club” at StarWorld Macau. Led by Chairman Alvin Chau, it is only recently that Suncity Group has stepped into casino operations of its own, although the transition has been rapid and widespread. The company tells IAG that its goal is to “pursue international development and diversified high-end entertainment services,” and that, “We are committed to establishing the group as a world-class company, a first-class leader in its industry with a customer-oriented brand and a value creator with highly efficient management and excellent corporate social responsibility.” As such, Suncity will open first fully-developed integrated resort, Hoiana, in Vietnam in 2021, the first phase of a much bigger US$4 billion development to be completed sometime around 2030. Suncity also became the largest single shareholder in Summit Ascent Holdings, which owns and operates casino-resort Tiger de Cristal in Vladivostok, Russia, early last year and is already embarking on that project’s Phase 2 expansion. Suncity Group is looking to develop an IR in Wakayama. サンシティグループは和歌山でのIR開発を目指している